When I taught English composition, I used to show my students the first 10ish minutes of this speech. It's amazing for teaching rhetoric and powerful speaking rhythm, plus I just think my students should hear it. My students in western Wisconsin knew MLK Jr. made a famous speech in which he said "I have a dream." Some had heard it before, even studied. Most of them knew that he gave this speech in Washington D.C. at the Million Man March. Which means they also likely knew, or may have guessed
- the event was well-attended
- the event suffered no debilitating organizational problems
- the event was peaceful
- the event was overall successful
If you see the march through this comfortable historical lens, you don't realize the planning, the worry, and the straight-out risk involved in putting on this event and showing up to be a part of it. That's why I'm so thrilled about following the @today1963 tweets, which put us back in real-time, in all its excitement and uncertainty. I applaud the researchers and the one(s) who came up with the idea and made it happen. Hurrah for great teaching.
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