The Dream Lives On

40 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fatally shot on the 2nd floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN by an assassin's bullet. While I'm not religious I've always had a great deal of respect and true admiration for Dr. King; if you've never read his "Letter From Birmingham Jail" I would highly recommend doing so. It is an extraordinarily eloquent piece of correspondence, making the case that civil disobedience is justified in the face of unjust laws while citing a myriad of historical, biblical and literary characters and events without the aid of any reference books or even the Google.

Here is his famous "I Have a Dream" speech delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC to over a quarter million peace marchers. It is regarded as one of the finest speeches in the history of American oratory and is as powerful today as when it was first spoken: