Today, the United States celebrates the MLK holiday; celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In honor of Dr. King, we would like to share one of his lesser known speeches to students at Barton Junior High School in Philadelphia, PA in 1967. The speech is an inspiring commentary for African American youth. We encourage you to watch the video with children in your circle and have a discussion. Though the video was made over 50 years ago, it still resonates today!
August 28, 2017 marks the 54th anniversary of the historic “I Have A Dream Speech” given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, in Washington, DC during the March on Washington. More than 200,000 flooded the capital for the historic speech. Below are some little known facts about the March that you may not know.
The March on Washington along with the speech given by Dr. King was said to pressure President Kennedy to approve federal civil rights legislation in Congress.
Dr. King was not the “originator” of the “I have a dream” language contained in his speech. It is likely that this language was first used by then 22 year old Prathia Hall after the burning of the Mount Olive Baptist Church in 1962. King had preached at a church service following the bombing. Prathia Hall prayed during the service. During her prayer she shared the “I have a dream” language. Check out our previous Black Mail post for more information on Prathia Hall. https://wordpress.com/post/blackmail4u.com/169
Originally, the speech was entitled, “Normalcy – Never Again” and did not contain any “I have a dream” wording. Dr. King was encouraged by gospel singer Mahalia Jackson who whispered to him during the speech, “Tell ‘em about the dream Martin. Tell em’ about the dream.“
Dr. King was the last speaker of the day. Many of the march participants, had already left to return to their homes and missed the historic speech.
William Sullivan, head of the FBI’s domestic intelligence division wrote a memo after the speech labeling Dr. King “as the most dangerous Negro of the future in this nation from the standpoint of communism, the Negro, and national security.”
King’s speech, initially did not get much attention in the media. The march itself received most of the media attention. By the time of King’s death in 1968, the speech, had been largely forgotten.
Dr. King first shared, “I have a dream” during a speech in Detroit two months before the March on Washington. Several of his staffers actually tried to discourage him from using the language again.
Today we remember the incomparable Maya Angelou. She would have been 89 today (4/4/17). Many don’t know that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on her 40th birthday birthday in 1968. After his assassination, she refused to celebrate her birthday. Instead she would send flowers to King’s widow, Coretta Scott King.
Ironically before Dr. King’s death, he had asked, Maya Angelou to travel with him and visit churches to raise money for his efforts to support the poor. Angelou agreed, but stated she could not begin until after her birthday. A promise she would never get the chance to fulfill. She was notified of his death while preparing for her birthday party.
Morehouse College is a private historically black college (HBCU) for men. Morehouse opened its doors in 1867 to educated black males who were formerly enslaved to become ministers and teachers. It opened approximately 2 years after the close of the Civil War. Its original name was Augustus Institute and it was located in Augustus Georgia. The Augustus Institute relocated to Atlanta in 1879 and became the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. Classes were first held in the basement of Friendship Baptist Church. The school moved to its current location in the 1880’s after John D. Rockefeller donated land to the college.
In 1980, Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. (1944-2015) performed the first implantation of an automatic defibrillator in a human heart. Watkins was also a professor of cardiac surgery and an associate dean at John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore Maryland. Dr. Watkins was born in Parson, Kansas. He grew up in Montgomery, AL and became good friends with civil rights leader, Dr. Ralph Abernathy. He also met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who, at the time had just started preaching at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Watkins was inspired by Dr. King and also became involved in the civil rights movement, serving as a volunteer driver transporting church members who were participating in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956. Continue reading “Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.: Performed The 1st Implantation of An Automatic Heart Defibrillator”→
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Did you miss yesterday’s post? Click here to learn more about Lily Ann Granderson, a former slave who established “midnight schools” to teach other slaves to read and write.
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