What Kind of Country Are We?

In Episode 22, Clarence B. Jones, speechwriter to Martin Luther King, Jr., talks about America’s need for moral courage.

In Episode 22, our conversations from the Communications Network’s 2017 conference continue with Clarence Jones, former MLK speechwriter and author of Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation.

Jones discusses the origins of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, including where he got the idea for the famous promissory note metaphor. Practically speaking, Jones recalls, segregation was not going to end until a majority of white people saw it as in their best interest. So King needed to present them with an inclusive dream—an aspirational vision for all Americans.

Today, Jones hears “a deafening silence” from our traditional institutions of moral leadership. In these turbulent times, we need a new effort to “redeem the moral soul of America”—and ComNet attendees have an important role to play. To get started, Jones recommends reading “A Call for Moral Courage in America” by Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation.

You can listen to this episode directly here or through the player below. You can also subscribe to Achieve Great Things on iTunes here.