Has MLK's 'dream' come true?

On Aug. 28, 1963, people gathered in Washington for the largest demonstration of its kind at that point in U.S. history: Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington. Imagine the heat, sounds and energy of 250,000 people attending the march as they witnessed MLK deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech.

King's oration would become one of the most famous speeches in American history. But it was also part of a much larger strategy to address an array of racial and economic injustices, many of which still resonate today – in education, housing and criminal justice. The anniversary of this iconic speech raises the question: 60 years after King's speech, where does the Civil Rights Movement stand in the United States?

👋 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). This week, we talk with a collective of Paste BN reporters who tackled this question in an exclusive new series of stories that look back at King's speech and frame its significance today.

Before we dive into their project, don't miss these stories made possible by your Paste BN subscription (and scroll to the bottom of this column for more top reads):

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What is the state of the Civil Rights Movement today?

To kick off the series, Paste BN national correspondent Marc Ramirez wanted to focus on similarities and differences between today's social justice movement and the causes of its predecessor:

"I was struck by historians’ observations that while today’s movement has learned and evolved from those of past decades, so too has its opposition, particularly in the absence of a rival power like the Soviet Union to ensure commitment to democratic principles," Ramirez said. "Hopefully that will be the takeaway for readers – that the struggle for equality and the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. continues and requires ongoing vigilance and effort from its advocates."

Memories from the crowd at MLK's March on Washington

An estimated quarter of a million people flocked to the National Mall on that historic day in 1963. Witnesses to The Great March spoke with Paste BN about what they experienced on the ground and reflected on the progress − or lack thereof.

One of the attendees, Juandalynn Abernathy, is a professional singer who was inspired by performers at the march that day. But when it comes to progress, she hasn't been impressed. "Nothing has changed that drastically. The same issues we had back then we still have now. They’re just packaged differently."

Listen to voices of history: Check out this special Paste BN docu-podcast featuring audio from those who vividly recall what it was like to be at the march.

How women were nearly excluded from the march

Women − particularly Black women − played a role in the planning of the 1963 March on Washington, despite being largely unable to share the spotlight with the prominent male leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. What surprised Paste BN breaking news reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg the most was that even women we now consider icons of the movement, like Rosa Parks, weren’t able to address the crowd that day. 

"I can't help but wonder what they would've said if given the chance," she said. "I hope this series will help readers understand what a massive undertaking this event was and what a broad cultural impact it had, beyond the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech."

The way we teach this history is evolving

Opportunities to present a more inclusive version of the country’s history are, after decades of advocacy and activism, becoming more common in the nation’s public schools. As part of Paste BN's MLK project, education reporter Alia Wong took a look at simultaneous efforts to stamp this progress out.

One of the people Wong spoke to was James McCarty, a theologian and ethicist at Boston University who’s also an expert on MLK. McCarty challenged the notion that King would simply make a moral appeal to reinstate those authors, books and courses. Rather, McCarty said, King would confront.

"That's precisely what the students and educators I featured in my story are doing," she said. "They’re fighting to learn about their ancestors’ struggles and accomplishments, their pain and their joy. As McCarty put it: “I don’t think King would say, ‘I’ve got a dream.’ I think he’d say, ‘Get organized.’”

More from the series: MLK Jr.'s daughter remembers his 'I Have a Dream' speech

The housing gap remains

In his speech, King had this to say about fairness in housing: “We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.”

Decades after the speech, Paste BN housing correspondent Swapna Venugopal took a like at how one of the biggest roadblocks to wealth for Black Americans is still in place – the housing gap still widening. Her story examines why the blatant undervaluation of Black neighborhoods and Black-owned homes remains so common.

Thank you

This kind of reporting represents Paste BN's commitment to inclusive, accountability reporting. Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you. 

Best wishes, 

Nicole Fallert