Brice Dickson
(Human Rights, Judicial Activism)
Rev. Martin Luther King iconic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28 1963. The speech contains themes of racial inequality, justice, religion, class and sets out MLK’s dream of a more inclusive society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs Martin Luther King speech on YouTube
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm MLK text version of speech (PDF)
Law School further recommends
Coretta Scott King: My Life, My Love, My Legacy This book illuminates the crucial and critical role of black women in the civil rights movement in the United States.
Maya Angelou: I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing It is difficult to choose just one book from the inspiring catalogue of writings produced by Angelou over her life; relative to MLK’s speech, however, this particular work is highly relevant. It provides an autobiographical account of what it meant to be young, black and female in America to the revolutionary Angelou.
Simple Justice This film is based on the landmark US Supreme Court case of Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, 347 US 483 (1954). The court overturned the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine that allowed separate public schools for black and white pupils.
For more contemporary opinions and conversation on the issue of black civil rights in US, check out ‘In Black America’ a series of podcasts which delves into the lives and lived experiences of black people in America, guests include civil rights activists, artists, athletes and writers.