MLK

MlkToday in the United States, we honor Martin Luther King. He wore the prophet’s mantle with courage and dignity, and for a generation, was the voice of a nation’s conscience. I can think of no better way to mark this day than with his own words. Presented here are two of his great orations, in their entirety.

“I Have A Dream” – August 28th, 1963 (text)

I have listened to this speech all the way through probably two dozen times in my life, and it never fails to bring tears to my eyes. The content is, of course, brilliant, but it’s the delivery that puts my heart in my throat every time. When he gets to the ending cadence, “Let freedom ring”, my heart races. In the history of great speeches, this, for me, is at the top.

“I Have Been To The Mountain” – April 3rd, 1968 (text)

Delivered just 24 hours before his assassination, the “Mountain” speech carries what I think is the heart of King’s enduring legacy. The force of his message was not so much in criticism of the present circumstances, though he had plenty to say in criticism of racial inequality. The force of his message was in the powerful clarity of his vision for a better way, the possibility that we might become a better people than we are.

In the closing passages of this speech, he speaks as a man among friends, and with an almost euphoric tone, he talks about the possibility of his own assassination, and brushes it aside as irrelevant. He had lived to see the dream take root, and spoke with the clarity of a man who holds his message of greater importance than himself.

“It really doesn’t matter what happens now…. some began to… talk about the threats that were out — what would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers…. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place, but I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”