MLK Day: More than a Dream
Find new inspiration in the King archives
In recent posts I’ve discussed ways to find relevant background and research foundations in online journals, libraries, and archives. In this post I’m sharing links to Martin Luther King’s work, which is freely available to read, hear, and see. As researchers, we are accustomed to digging below the surface, looking for clues we can piece together to understand the whole story. Find a quote or message that inspires you - either an old favorite or a new discovery. Share with fellow readers (include a link). What will you do to put words into action in your life and work?
Let’s read more than one speech to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.
The United States observes the birthday of civil rights hero Martin Luther King each year. One-liners are quoted widely, and short video clips of the most famous speeches are aired. The most common, of course, was the highlight of the 1963 March on Washington, known as the “I have a dream speech.” Powerful as it is, we need to remember he wasn’t always receiving applause from a large crowd. He also had times alone in a jail cell or trying to motivate congregants who had been beaten down - literally. His letters and notes, sermons and speeches cover a wide range of social issues including ones we still struggle with today.
Learn, think, and act … together!
King admonishes us to realize that it is not enough to succeed as an individual; we need to work to enable others to succeed. He reminds us about the importance of direct actions, as well as the indirect implications of our actions. This quote articulates that message. It is part of a letter from the Birmingham Jail:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be...This is the inter-related structure of reality.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
See the whole typewritten letter and listen to him reading it.
Find personal motivations and resources for your research
The King archives are housed at Stanford University. Here are two links that allow you to access the center and the database of papers:
The King Papers Project: The King Papers Project’s principal mission is to publish a definitive fourteen-volume edition of King’s most significant correspondence, sermons, speeches, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts.
The Online King Records Access (OKRA) database: OKRA provides easily searchable access to information on thousands of speeches, sermons, letters, and other historic documents by and about Martin Luther King, Jr.
Use archival sources in your research
If you are wondering how to use these original source materials in your scholarly work, you might find ideas in this post about archival methods. The Society of American Archivists, a professional association dedicated to the needs and interests of archives and archivists, has put together an open-access resource that can help you get started. See Using Archives A Guide to Effective Research by Laura Schmidt.
Thanks to Beth Spencer for the badge!