Available below is the live stream of President Obama speaking at Martin Luther King Jr.’s 50th Anniversary of his famous I Have a Dream speech. Speaking from the same steps adorning the Lincoln Memorial at 2:45pm ET, the first African-American president of our nation will give homage to the late, great peaceful protester who paved the way for people like President Obama to achieve the American dream. President Carter and President Clinton are expected to speak at the March on Washington shortly. You can live stream the March on Washington online live below.
Watch President Obama Speak at the MLK 50th Anniversary at 2:45pm ET here. Live Stream March on Washington.
Dr. King’s August 28, 1963 speech is arguably the most recognized oration in the history of our country, a pivotal statement that gave a stirring voice to the civil rights movement that swept our nation during troubling times. According to CBS “In 1999, a collection of 140 scholars voted “I Have a Dream” as the best political speech of the 20th century.”
The entire day is being celebrated as the Let Freedom Ring Ceremony which kicked off this morning at 11am ET during which enthusiasts took to Washington D.C.’s National Mall for a reenactment of the “The Great March on Washington.”
Having earned a Ph.D from our own Boston University, Dr. King delivered his famed address in front of upwards of 250,000 spectators citing foundational American documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the United States Constitution.
Surely Martin Luther King Jr. would be happy with the strides made since his devastating assassination in 1968, though I doubt he’d be satisfied. While having President Obama sit in the oval office as the first African-American Commander in Chief is a testament to Dr. King’s combat against racial inequality, surely he’d recognize that in some gloomy corners of our country racism is still commonplace.
Still, being able to look back on that momentous moment in the development of our great nation and celebrate the brave actions of the civil rights leaders, no matter how consequential they were, is a privilege in and of itself.
