Deseret News archives: King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech in 1963 stands test of time

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was an important moment in U.S. history. While some might argue that the march was more about daily needs — as in jobs — it has certainly stood the test of time as a momentous movement about civil rights.
And one of the reasons it still resonates is the famous speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. His “I have a dream” speech on Aug. 28, 1963, pricked a nation’s collective conscience.
Newspapers of the day followed the march with great interest, although a unique situation in Utah pushed the story to the bottom of the page. A horrific mine disaster in Moab on Aug. 27 had drawn Utahns’ attention from national events to more a more personal interest.
Why King? What about the speech stands the test of time?
According to colleague Kelsey Dallas, Pew Research Center found that a large share of U.S. adults — 81% — believe that King had a very positive or somewhat positive impact on the country, but only 38% of Americans felt their personal views on racial equality were shaped by his work.
And that’s OK. One of the things that struck me in coverage of the 1963 march was the peaceful nature of the more than 100,000 who gathered on the National Mall, per reporting of the day.
And if you ever want to quote King’s “I have a dream” line, here is that part of the speech, along with other articles from Deseret News archives on the Rev. King:
“… I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
“I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification,’ one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
“This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. …”
“‘I have a dream’ was cut from the original draft of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech”
“Opinion: What people of faith can learn from MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech 60 years later”
“Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘dream’ 50 years later”
“Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy”
“Video: Watch Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s previously lost speech from 1962″
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: I have a dream”
“Opinion: Rev. King’s advice for developing compassion? Learn to see another’s point of view”
“Perspective: The power of a dream”
“Five essential sermons delivered by Martin Luther King Jr.”