Today is set aside to honor a man who made an extraordinary difference in our country as an advocate for equal rights for all people. As a part of that tribute people will attend special church services, march in parades and gather together to remember “The Dream” and “The Dreamer,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
No doubt, Dr. King’s speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 made a lasting impact and has stood the test of time. It has been studied for its rhetorical devices, singular construction and targeted punch. There are, however, some things that strike me about it that all of us could learn from. They are reflections if you will on King’s speech.
The first observation of the speech is its authenticity. Dr. King truly believed in what he was saying. There was no doubt that he lived the message of peace. He knew that he could change the way things were by calling others to peacefully demonstrate all around the country.
Before his historic speech, he wanted to march through a small town in the Midwest where my Father-in-Law served as Police Chief. He told me that during his meeting with Dr. King he asked him if he would avoid coming through the town at that particular time because of the major issues that they could face. My Father-in-law said King agreed without exception or argument. He said he found him to be “real.” He was a real man with a real message that he truly believed.
The second observation that really resonated with me was his humanity. There has been a lot of discussion about the human side of Dr. King. Whether all or some of it is true, or it is nothing more than the petty jealousy of others, it doesn’t negate the message. Phillips Brooks once defined preaching as the communication of “truth through personality.” That’s what Dr. King did on that historic day. He had persona that was larger than life and he delivered the truth of equality for all through that filter.
It’s important for us to remember that whatever the message, the messenger will always be flawed. He or she will be plagued by hypocrisy, imperfection and yes, humanity but that shouldn’t make what is true any less believable or any less palatable. I’m certainly not saying the messenger isn’t important but rather I’m cautioning us to view the messenger as secondary and truth as primary. Either way, that message will come via a human being that is imperfect at best.
The third observation that really strikes me about his speech his is delivery. If you watch the entire speech, Dr. King reads it, staying with the script and looking down as much as he looks up at the audience. That is until the 7th paragraph of the speech. According to Clarence B. Jones, Author of the book “Behind the Dream” and the one who helped pen the remarks for that historic day, King strayed from the script. In fact, the last part of the speech and the one we remember, was delivered extemporaneously.
Reports of those who were close to Dr. King that day said that Mahalia Jackson, a gospel singer and good friend of King’s, shouted “tell ‘em about the ‘dream.’ Jones said with that, he pushed his prepared text aside. And what happened next is all we can talk about. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2013/08/27/public-speaking-how-mlk-improvised-second-half-of-dream-speech/)
What made it so effective? How was he able to hold almost one million people spellbound and have his words resonate fifty-one years later? He believed what he said and he delivered it with passion. Perhaps at that moment he pictured family members sitting on the back of the bus, not being welcome at a restaurant or having to drink from a separate water fountain. Whatever happened, something touched his soul and he delivered his talk from that place.
We need more people like him. Flawed people, human beings who believe what they say, say what they believe and stand for something bigger than themselves. He was a great communicator because he had purpose and passion. That’s what made all the difference then and what makes all the difference now.
You can watch all of Dr. King’s historic speech here.
Leave a Reply