Fifty years ago Wednesday, Dr. Martin Luther King stood before a crowd numbering in the hundreds of thousands at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Though he was one of sixteen speakers that day, King’s remarks towered above all the rest. In rhetoric both sweeping and simple, his historic “I have a dream” speech came to symbolize the civil rights movement of the 1960′s.
“I have a dream,” King remarked that day, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Fifty years to the day of that moving address, another crowd gathered in Washington D.C. to honour King’s legacy as well as reaffirm the struggle for equality and social justice in the United States.
With speakers ranging from civil rights leaders who were with King that day fifty years ago, to actors and celebrities inspired by his message, to President Barack Obama (above), the first black president in U.S. history – all paid tribute to King’s message and work.
You can check out the highlights of the day’s events below, including speeches by ex-Civil Rights leaders John Lewis and Andrew Young, celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Jamie Foxx, and former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
SPEECH: Martin Luther King the third, son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
SPEECH: Christine King Farris, sister of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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