I Have a Dream…

Every year I get together with Dr. King to celebrate his commitment to peace, justice and hope

One of the more puzzling but perfect monuments to the American Dream is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in D.C. Some have accused the sculptor, Chinese artist Lei Yixin, of making this image too “confrontational”. But I love to visit not for the disputed likeness of the Great Man, but to read and re-read the inspirational quotes carved on the memorial’s Inscription Wall. It’s a beautiful place to sit and reflect during D.C.’s annual Cherry Blossom season. Photo: Author’s archives

One of my favorite units during the AP English Language and Composition season was always the one in which we tackled political speeches. Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address; JFK’s “ask not what your country can do for you” oration — delivered during his inaugural; Reagan’s “Challenger” speech, honoring the astronauts and the New Hampshire teacher who perished that day; Obama’s Sandy Hook speech, in the wake of the murder of 20 six- and seven-year-olds and their six adult teachers and administrators. The unit culminated with Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963, when he called for civil and economic rights for all people.

That’s the point of AP Lang, as we call it in the high school English department where I taught for 23 years — to “learn about the elements of argument and composition”, according to the College Board. But one more thing as well. My students studied both the text and the video/audio of these remarks — with the exception of Lincoln. Do you think, had he known something like the Tee Vee was coming in the 20th Century that he would have been happy to have missed its advent? The point of my lessons wasn’t just to commemorate the words of great…