50 years ago today, MLK ignored script to deliver historic speech

By Sharon Bernstein, Reuters

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Clarence Jones was sitting 50 feet behind his boss, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on the brilliant, sunny day in 1963 when King delivered the speech that would forever change the course of race relations in the United States.

Now, 50 years later, Jones recalls how the words “I have a dream,” were not written in the text that King prepared and began to read that day. Instead, King improvised on the spot, reviving a phrase he has used previously with little impact, according to Jones, King’s lawyer, speechwriter and confidant.

“I have a dream,” King shouted to the crowd, his voice reverberating with emotion, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Delivered 50 years ago on today, King’s image of his dream for a better America still inspires the United States. On Saturday, tens of thousands marched on Washington, D.C., to commemorate the Great March on Washington that featured King’s speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Today, President Barack Obama, the first black person in that office, will speak at the memorial in remembrance.

King’s speech was delivered to more than 250,000 who came to Washington to march for civil rights at a time when it was still illegal for blacks and whites to marry in many states, and just months after protesters in Alabama were set upon with police dogs and fire hoses.

Full story: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/271703/

-- Grand Forks Herald 2013-08-28

“I have a dream,” King shouted to the crowd, his voice reverberating with emotion, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

I think MLK Jr is spinning in his grave.

Gees. Have you guys lived there?. I was born in the south 66 years ago (I am white) and I can tell you so much has changed. There will always be racist everywhere but in the town I lived in last everyone was treated with on regard to skin color.

Anyway its an imperfect world, nothing can be fixed with law alone, there must be understanding

Troll posts have been removed.

The crowd of "tens of thousands" described in the article has been estimated as being over 20,000 only.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/08/28/20K-estimated-march-on-washington