Wednesday, August 28, 2013

i have a dream

Today marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important speeches of all time.  On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, calling for harmony and an end to racism, to an estimated 250,000 people.  Here are some links to commemorate the event:
Please do your own research and contribute resources or perspectives in the comments.  Dr. King's speech represents the finest traditions of democracy, free speech, humanity, community, and rhetoric. It serves as a powerful reminder that there is more in life that unites us than divides us.  Taking a few moments to listen/read/reflect on this occasion is an opportunity to put us all in touch with the better angels of our nature.
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10 comments:

  1. Brenna McNamaraAugust 28, 2013 at 3:15 PM

    Martin Luther King Jr. is no doubt admirable in various ways (I won't deny his being inspirational or amazing). But, I found these articles rather interesting because the "truth" is debatable, but speculation still circulates around his character. I just prefer to realize that these influential figures are human, with imperfections. After all, Hitler liked dogs.

    http://www.ibtimes.com/martin-luther-king-cheated-his-wife-other-lesser-known-facts-about-civil-rights-leader-mlk-day

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100232872/if-the-tabloids-had-been-around-in-his-day-dr-martin-luther-king-would-be-in-big-trouble/

    Also, isn't it a bit disappointing that elementary schools never mention Malcolm X?

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    1. Dr. PrestonAugust 28, 2013 at 4:09 PM

      First, yes re: Malcolm X. Second, er, wow. Are you familiar with the ad hominem fallacy? The point of the post is the value of the speech, not the speaker. We agree on the importance of fidelity and on the importance of a reverend living the morals he preaches. However, King helped more people than he hurt, his speech changed a nation for the (way) better, and the comparison to Hitler is unwarranted. As a separate thought, we DO live in the age of the tabloids (and social media), so maybe we should be a bit more compassionate and not require a person to be perfect in every aspect of life 24/7 in order to make a positive difference in the world. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this exchange presents an opportunity to focus on Coretta Scott King, a powerhouse and advocate for humanity in her own right who carried on the struggle for equality for all until her death in 2006. In her words: “Mama and Daddy King represent the best in manhood and womanhood, the best in a marriage, the kind of people we are trying to become.” Best doesn't always mean perfect. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

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    2. Brenna McNamaraAugust 28, 2013 at 4:43 PM

      I never meant to argue that Martin Luther King Jr.'s faults should overshadow his successes (more importantly, his moving speech that I had thoroughly analyzed last year, and do appreciate); but I personally find it more interesting to see the aspects of a person many don't know. Truth be told, if we're focusing on his speech specifically, there's nothing but praise. It's easy to write a good speech, but it takes a good speaker to make it powerful.

      And of course I'm familiar with that fallacy; everyone uses it :)

      (The Hitler comment should have been in "quotes" because it wasn't meant to be taken seriously in a direct comparison to the personality of MLK Jr. Only as something ironic and unexpected to a character. I definitely do not sympathize with Hitler in any way).

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    3. Dr. PrestonAugust 28, 2013 at 5:50 PM

      Thanks for the clarification and apologies if I misinterpreted. I completely support the idea of looking beyond the oversimplified first impressions we're often given to accept as history. People are fascinating.

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  2. UnknownAugust 28, 2013 at 4:07 PM

    As Brenna said above, Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspirational speaker and a great leader in the civil rights movement.... Having said that, that doesn't mean he is perfect. He did wonderful things for our country but he wasn't by any means a saint. According to some articles, he did have a connection to the Communist Party, which isn't too bad... Dr. King plagiarized in college which should have gotten his doctorate revoked and yet, they decided to let him keep it for all of the outstanding work he has done for our nation. The most shocking to me was, how could such a righteous man of God engage in extra marital affairs?...

    http://www.martinlutherking.org/thebeast.html

    http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/mlk.htm#.Uh58kZXU7zI

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    1. Dr. PrestonAugust 28, 2013 at 4:11 PM

      [Sigh.] See above.

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    2. UnknownAugust 28, 2013 at 5:23 PM

      Only offering a different perspective to MLK Jr. rather than the one that we have known and grown up with. As Brenna stated above, I wasn't trying to overshadow his success with this because you truly can't. His speeches and accomplishments were remarkable and this specific speech, is arguably one of the greatest in American history if not of all time.

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    3. Dr. PrestonAugust 28, 2013 at 5:54 PM

      Noted. And thanks: I appreciate your approach to the conversation. Different perspectives are welcome here! My first impression of these comments was off. Thanks for helping me understand. :)

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  3. Dr. PrestonAugust 28, 2013 at 4:29 PM

    Before anyone else rings in on this, please be advised that this thread does not exist to muckrake or debate the merits of the semi-scandalous private lives of well-known people. I am not qualified to criticize or defend King's relationship with his wife, or anything else he did or didn't do when he wasn't giving that speech 50 years ago today, so I'd rather focus on the speech itself and leave the rest to TMZ.

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    1. Dr. PrestonAugust 28, 2013 at 5:59 PM

      In a course blog first, I'm replying to myself: "Hey David, isn't fearless inquiry and dissent what Open Source Learning is all about? Brenna and Rachel are clearly brilliant critical thinkers who raised alternate issues without falling into the usual rhetorical traps. Lighten up!" (This is the sort of thing that can happen when sitting alone in a classroom waiting for Hack to School Night. :)

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