And he said unto them: ‘Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed (Genesis 37:6)
On Wednesday, the American Center in Jerusalem will be joining US Embassies around the world in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Reverend Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington D.C.
Just ten days before his assassination, at the annual convention on the Rabbinical Assembly, Dr. King said: “The response of some of the so-called young militants does not represent the position of the vast majority of Negroes. There are some who are color-consumed and they see a kind of mystique in blackness or in being colored, and anything non-colored is condemned. We do not follow that course…. Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect her right to exist, its territorial integrity and the right to use whatever sea lanes it needs. Israel is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security, and that security must be a reality.”
According to Haaretz, American officials feel that Reverend King’s message could not be more relevant than in the wake of the raging violence the Middle East has seen in the past few weeks. Coming after weeks of heavy violence in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon – two years into the outbreak of the popular Arab Spring uprisings which transformed the region – Dr. King’s message has great resonance, a U.S. embassy spokesperson said.
“In his landmark 1963 speech, Dr. King articulated a vision for a future in which all people would be treated with respect and dignity,” the spokesperson said. “There is no more important message for today’s Middle East.”
In efforts to commemorate the famous August 28, 1963 speech the American Center will host a performance of jazz group the Lab Ensemble, graduates of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. The performance will be interspersed with footage of the landmark address. “Music was a vital part of this event,” the spokesperson explained. Along with compositions written especially for the evening, the Lab Ensemble will play music by stars who performed that day, including Joan Baez and Odetta.
The event is “open to the public and anyone who is interested in celebrating the historic events of 50 years ago is welcome to attend,” the spokesperson said.
The US State Department has organized a number of other events to mark the occasion around the world, Haaretz reported. On Monday, a “global viewing party” of Dr. King’s speech, which the U.S. embassy predicted dozens of diplomatic missions to take part in, took place at 1 P.M. Jerusalem time. There has also been a YouTube video made especially for the 50th anniversary of the speech, interspersed with clips of people from various countries telling the viewers their own dreams.
Later this year, in the first half of October, the State Department is organizing a webchat with the author of a three-volume biography of Martin Luther King Jr, Taylor Branch. The date has yet to be confirmed.
As peace talks kick off again with American mediation and much skepticism from the Israeli and Palestinian publics, Dr. King’s message is also relevant, the spokesperson said.
“The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is echoed in the call to action that President Obama gave to Israeli and Palestinian youth in his speech in March where he stated that, ‘Political leaders will never take risks if the people do not push them to take some risks. You must create the change that you want to see. Ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things.’”
