“Martin Luther King Jr, Birmingham Alabama, 1963,” by Ernst Haas.
One of my favorite photographs of Dr. King. Given the year and the setting (a jail), I think we can be fairly sure this was not just any jail, but a Birmingham one, and that the text being passed was one which included Dr. King’s now canonical letter.
Here are two past Dr. King-themed LD posts: A King among men, and It is the law of love that rules mankind. [Ed note, re: that second link: ’til I can fix it, imagine a photograph of Bayard Rustin in that question mark spot where an image should be. Fixed.]
Amazing. His presence solid amid chaos.
Each year, the children at our school memorize Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech and recite it together in assembly. Each class takes a part and they stand and say their part when it comes. The age range of the kids is 3 to 13. When I hear the words coming from my own kids as they practice at home, I cry…every single time. When my son speaks of hewing a stone of hope from a mountain of despair and my daughter finishes with “let freedom ring”, I believe once again that this will someday be true.