Mahalia Jackson, the woman who inspired Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C.
Unequivocally, Martin Luther King Jr. is the champion of the civil rights movement. Though he was a prolific writer and orator, the speech for which he is most well remembered is the one he almost decided against. At the 1963 March on Washington, King agonized over what to share in his five-minute speech. He finally decided to use the analogy of a “bad check” to represent the ways in which America failed to follow through on the promise of freedom for black citizens. However, as he began to deliver the speech, he struggled with an unwieldy sentence and started improvising. It was then that long-time friend, musical legend, and the Queen of Gospel, Mahalia Jackson, shouted to him: “Tell them about the dream, Martin! Tell them about the dream!” Jackson was referring to a similar speech he delivered in Detroit earlier that year.
Trusting this inspirational woman who attended and performed at many dangerous rallies and hostile demonstrations, King slid his notes to the side and began speaking from the heart. In that moment, Jackson gave King the prompt he needed and called him to action. The decision to take her advice elevated that speech to a sermon and the crowd to his congregation. To this day, King and his dream are inextricably linked to civil rights. In life, some of the greatest people struggle and even heroes need a guide. The most powerful part of the speech is that they were not free—it was a dream. But in their quest for freedom, this speech incited action and demanded the equality that we have today. I HAVE A DREAM!
“I say to you today my friends, 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.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
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