18: Martin Luther King Jr: The Dream That Echoed Beyond Time

Legacy Makers: Stories of Black Inventors and Icons

Date: January 15, 2025 Legacy Makers: Stories of Black Inventors and Icons Title and Show Info Episode #18: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: The Dream That Echoed Beyond Time Featuring: Toni Davis (Host & Storyteller).

Summary What does it mean to dream? For Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it meant imagining a world where justice rolled like waters and equality reigned like a mighty stream. But behind the powerful speeches and marches lies a man of bold faith, strategic brilliance, and unyielding courage—a man who dared to stand against the tide of hate with love. In this episode, we dive into the life of Dr. King like never before, exploring the struggles he faced, the dreams that kept him going, and the seismic impact he made on the world. Was he a revolutionary, a peacemaker, or something in between? We’ll trace his rise from a young preacher with a calling to the leader of a movement that changed the fabric of America forever. Get ready for a mix of inspiration and intrigue as we uncover lesser-known stories about Dr. King: his moments of doubt, his visionary strategies, and how he balanced the weight of a movement on his shoulders. We’ll also take a fresh look at the "I Have a Dream" speech—how it almost didn’t happen and why it still resonates today. Tune in for a thrilling celebration of a man who dreamed big, fought harder, and left us with a blueprint for a better tomorrow. It’s Dr. King as you’ve never seen him before—real, raw, and deeply human.

Highlights: 00:58= INTRO 01:06= MICHAEL KING JR’S BIRTH. 01:38= HIS FATHER, MICHAEL KING SR. 01:54= HIS MOTHER, ALBERTA WILLIAMS. 04:20= MICHAEL KING SR CHANGES HIS NAME TO MARTIN LUTHER KING, SR & HIS SON’S NAME TO MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. 06:44= MARTIN ATTENDS THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY’S LABORATORY SCHOOL. 07:02= THE YOUNGEST ASSISTANT MANAGER AT THE ATLANTA JOURNAL. 07:11= ATTENDS BOOKER T. WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL. 07:34= JOINS THE DEBATE TEAM. 08:43= ATTENDS MOREHOUSE COLLEGE. 10:01= GRADUATES WITH A BACHELOR OF ARTS IN SOCIOLOGY FROM MOREHOUSE COLLEGE. 11:09= ATTENDS CROZER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 12:50= GRADUATES WITH A BACHELOR OF DIVINITY FROM CROZER AND BEGINS HIS DOCTORAL STUDIES AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY . 13:41= MEETS CORETTA SCOTT. 14:49= THE COUPLE MARRY. 15:21= THEY HAVE FOUR CHILDREN. 16:00= THE PULPIT OF DEXTER AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH IN MONTGOMERY, AL. 16:25= CLAUDETTE COLVIN 16:54= PHD FROM BOSTON UNIVERSITY. 17:03= ROSA PARKS REFUSES TO GIVE UP HER SEAT ON A CITY BUS. 17:17= THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT IS BORN. 18:19= NOVEMBER 1956 THE SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST SEGREGATION ON PUBLIC BUSES. 18:46= MARTIN FOUNDS THE SCLC. 19:16= MARTIN RETURNS TO ATLANTA AND CO-PASTOR’S THE EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH WITH HIS FATHER. 19:54= ARRESTED DURING AN ATLANTA STUDENT MOVEMENT SIT-IN AT RICH’S DEPARTMENT STORE. 20:31=THE BIRMINGHAM CAMPAIGN. 21:25= THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON DC AND HIS “I HAVE A DREAM” SPEECH. 22:54= THE MARCH MAKES SPECIFIC DEMANDS. 23:35= THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. 24:20= MARTIN RECEIVES THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. 26:20= HE DENOUNCES THE VIETNAM WAR. 27:10= HIS POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN. 27:39= SUPPORTS THE MEMPHIS SANITATION WORKER’S STRIKE. 27:58= DELIVERS HIS “I’VE BEEN TO THE MOUNTAINTOP” SPEECH 28:15= MARTIN IS SHOT AT THE LORRAINE MOTEL IN MEMPHIS, TN. 28:59= RUSHED TO ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL FOR EMERGENCY SURGERY. 29:08= DIES AT ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL. 29:40= RIOTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. 30:15= SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY GIVES HIS SPEECH, “ON THE MINDLESS MENACE OF VIOLENCE”. 30:25= THE MEMPHIS SANITATION WORKER’S STRIKE IS SETTLED. 30:43= THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT & THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT. 30:55= THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1968. 31:29= 7 ½ HOUR FUNERAL FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. 35:20= LAID TO REST IN SOUTH-VIEW CEMENTERY IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. 36:02= JAMES EARL RAY IS CAPTURED. 36:24= JAMES EAR RAY RECANTS HIS CONFESSION. 36:40= JAMES EARL RAY IS SENTENCED. 36:53= JAMES EARL RAY DIES. 37:00= MARTIN’S REMAINS ARE MOVED TO THE CENTER FOR NONVIOLENT SOCIAL CHANGE IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. 37:48= CORETTA SCOTT KING JOINS HIM UPON HER DEATH. 37:55= CONCLUSION. Subscribe to the podcast.

Links To Additional Resources: Martin Luther King Jr. – Biography - NobelPrize.org Martin Luther King, Jr. | Biography, Speeches, Facts, & Assassination | Britannica Martin Luther King, Jr. | About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Introduction | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Martin Luther King Jr. Biography, Quotes & Legacy | HISTORY Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025 in the United States Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service | AmeriCorps Major King Events Chronology: 1929-1968 | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) Martin Luther King, Jr., National Day of Service | AmeriCorps Remarks on Signing the King Holiday and Service Act of 1994 | The American Presidency Project The King Center | The Center for Nonviolent Social Change N.H.'s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Didn't Happen Without A Fight | New Hampshire Public Radio List of African-American holidays - Wikipedia Timeline - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Research Guides at Louisiana State University Boston University | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute About | Annual Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. About Dr. King | Martin Luther King Center Martin Luther King, Jr. | Timeline | Britannica Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Montgomery Bus Boycott, civil rights movement, segregation, nonviolent protest On Apr 12, 1963: Bull Connor Orders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Dozens More Civil Rights Marchers Violently Arrested in Birmingham Birmingham Campaign | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Bull Connor, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Labor Movement | AFL-CIO Connor, Theophilus Eugene "Bull" | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement -- History & Timeline, 1963 (Jan-June) Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.] Martin Luther King Jr. is jailed in Birmingham | April 12, 1963 | HISTORY Birmingham Campaign of 1963 - Encyclopedia of Alabama Bending Toward Justice: April 1963 - Alabama News Center The Big Six Organizers Of The March On Washington: Where Are They Now? | HuffPost Voices The 'Big Six' Organizers of the Civil Rights Movement Important Activist and Leaders – African American Civil Rights Movement The Big Six Of The Civil Rights Movement - WorldAtlas The 1963 March on Washington | NAACP March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Transcript of Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech : NPR March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom The March on Washington: Photos From an Epic Civil Rights Event March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (U.S. National Park Service) 50th Anniversary of March on Washington & "I Have a Dream" Speech - U.S. Embassy in The Czech Republic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom August 28, 1963, MLK - Wesleyan University Martin Luther King Jr. – Facts - NobelPrize.org Nobel Peace Prize | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Today in History: Dr. Martin Luther King Awarded Nobel Peace Prize 60 Years Ago | Defender Services Office - Training Division Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Nobel Prize - Civil Rights Digital Library 1964: Martin Luther King Jr. received Nobel Peace Prize - Mississippi Today National Civil Rights Museum | At the Lorraine Motel The Famous Lorraine Motel Tennessee: The Lorraine Motel (U.S. National Park Service) National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel – US Civil Rights Trail The Lorraine Motel and Martin Luther King | The New Yorker Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute King's Assassination: A Timeline | American Experience | Official Site | PBS