Martin Luther King: Speech Contributors
Global figures celebrate Dr Kings legacy by reading sections of the speech which resonate with their own experiences and aspirations.
"It delights my heart... I have this speech in the path I tread"
Maya Angelou's personal recollection of hearing the speech for the first time.
"Everytime I hear it it brings me to tears"
Stevie Wonder on the impact that the speech still has, and his hope for the future.
"I found his work very clear and very positive"
On his regard for Martin Luther King.
"Without hatred, without anger, without violence."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks of his admiration for Martin Luther King.
"It is a call to continue the struggle against injustice...with a commitment to peace"
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, on what the speech means to her.
"Our soil is soaked with the blood of people who have fought for our freedom"
Nelson Mandela's granddaughter Ndileka Mandela, speaking for him
"He gave his listeners an instrument to fight against the temptations of despair and apathy."
Israeli author and peace campaigner David Grossman.
"Truth and justice are the words that ring out to me"
Doreen Lawrence on the importance of the themes expressed in Martin Luther King's speech.
"It's the most powerful speech I've ever heard"
Joan Baez, musician and activist who performed at the 1963 March on Washington.
"His words ended up toppling dictators and finishing regimes like apartheid."
Chilean Ariel Dorfman on the speech is more relevant today than ever.
"I felt a sense of energy, of presense, of greatness"
Indian peace campaigner Satish Kumar with an account of meeting Martin Luther King.
"Law is an instrument of social justice"
Mary Robinson on how the speech inspired her to study law.
"A source of pleasure and hope, a source of brotherhood and immense love"
Maestro José Antonio Abreu, Venezuelan economist, educator, and musician.
"I had a photo of Martin Luther King in my office"
Dr Shirin Ebadi, human rights lawyer, Iran’s first female judge, Nobel Peace Laureate.
"Humans in their the search for justice, dignitiy and equality can move mountains"
Palestinian activist Raja Shedadeh on the potential of collective action.
"It lifted me up and helped make me a better person"
Congressman John Lewis
"It's very peaceful, it's very friendly"
Professor Muhammad Yunus recalls what it felt like to be a student in the US in 1963.
"A new movement, a new change is taking place today"
Human rights campaigner Wei Jingsheng on how it expresses what people want to say today.
"It would have given us a lot of courage"
Anti-apartheid campaigner Albie Sachs on how it inspired South Africa's fight for freedom.
