Injustice In Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

Injustice Motivated Dr. King to Speak

While marching toward the Lincoln Memorial to give his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. and his supporters were singing “We Shall Overcome.” The lyrics of that hymn reference a day when all men will live together in peace. Dr. King clearly stated this day had not yet come when he said, “One hundred years later, the Negro still is not free” (King Jr., 1963). A broad spectrum of injustice inspired Dr. King to speak, and after looking at the acts of racism and civil injustice prior to 1963, Dr. King was prophetic.

As Dr. King referenced in his speech, there was still a vast gap in equality in America in the early 1960s. Instances of police brutality were occurring on a regular basis all across the country. Unfair housing practices resulted in segregated neighborhoods and communities. Unequal employment practices were widespread among both private and government sectors. Also, equal education opportunities were being demanded by blacks, creating

Dr. King referenced acts of discrimination at all levels of our society, from micro to macro. He spoke about issues in our society that most people were aware of, but he also referenced things that may not have been public knowledge; for instance, the reference to Stone Mountain located just outside of Atlanta Georgia. This was the site where the Ku Klux Klan was reborn after lying dormant in Georgia for 40 years (Stewart, 2015).

Dr. King used vibrant images to describe what America could look like if we replaced acts of hate with acts of love. All men would be equal and share common legal rights, regardless of race. All children would have equal opportunity to a quality education. All people would be hired and paid according to their qualifications, not the color of their skin. America could truly live up to its nickname as land of the