Martin Luther King, Jr Day and his “I Have A Dream” speech
Martin Luther King, Jr was one of the greatest leaders, and fought for equality and civil rights for all races of people. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and was assassinated four years later during a visit to Memphis, to support striking black garbage collectors. James Earl Ray was arrested and convicted of the killing, but there are several conspiracy theories that say he was innocent.
His often quoted “I Have A Dream” speech was delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963 during the “March on Washington”. Source: Martin Luther King, Jr: The Peaceful Warrior, Pocket Books, NY 1968
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.