Detroit Heard The Dream First



On August 28, 1963, thousands of people travelled to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to take part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  More than 10 speakers and singers brought messages of civil rights, economic justice, and racial harmony.  One of the most famous people sharing the stage at the Lincoln Memorial was Mahalia Jackson.  She was an internationally known singer known as "The Queen of Gospel".   She had first met and supported Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.

Mahalia Jackson
1911-1972



If Martin Luther King, Jr., had a favorite "opening act", it was Mahalia Jackson, she often performed by his side. Before Dr. King's speech, he requested that she sing the gospel classic "I've Been 'Buked, and I've Been Scorned."  About 10 minutes into his speech, Mahalia saw that Dr. King was struggling and needed a change of direction...she recalled a speech he had given earlier in the year in Detroit, Michigan.

 

 

Listen to the original "I Have A Dream" Speech
Detroit - June 23, 1963
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q3fosthiFU

 

 

And at that moment she shouted from behind the podium,

 

 

"Tell them about the dream, Martin. Tell them about the dream!"

 

And at that moment, Dr. King left his prepared notes behind to improvise the last 6 minutes of his speech—the greatest extemporaneous speech of all time!  "I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream..."

Watch and Listen!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFcbpGK9_aw