Anniversary Of Dream Speech A Good Time To Learn More About Full Legacy Of Martin Luther King

(Blogger’s Note—With this weekend being the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream Speech, it seems like a good time to repost this M.L. King Reading & Reference list. I update this list each year in January with new additions. Many are familiar with the Dream Speech. That’s good. But King had much more to say on many topics. Please consider taking the time to learn more about the full message of Martin Luther King.)

This is the third edition of the Martin Luther King Reading & Reference List. There are three additions for 2010.

While it is always instructive to watch a rebroadcast or listen to a recording of the I Have A Dream speech,  there is a next level for someone who wants to better understand Dr. King and his message.

Reverend King asked serious questions about America as a war criminal nation in Vietnam and he asked if America  merited divine judgement as a wicked nation of racism and social inequality.  These questions, even in the time of Barack Obama, are still worthy of consideration.

Here is an admittedly incomplete, but I hope useful, Martin Luther King viewing, visiting, listening, and reading list.

An excellent book is Martin & Malcolm & America—A Dream Or A Nightmare by James H. Cone. This book follows the words and the careers of both these men. The premise, which holds up, is that Dr. King and Malcolm X (photo below) were not as far apart as sometimes portrayed. Malcolm was a man with a broader vision than one of simple racial solidarity, and King was in many respects a fierce and almost apocalyptic critic of America.

I’m glad to say I bought my copy of Cone’s book at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia.  This site is operated by theNational Park Service. You can tour Martin Luther King’s boyhood home at this location. You’ll also want to tour the Auburn Avenue Historic District around the King home.