Best Way to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Is With His Own Words! Nikole Hannah Jones Gives Speech Comprised Mainly of MLK Quotes
Read also: quotes from past MLK speeches
I was invited to give an MLK speech today and a small number of members of the group hosting wrote and then leaked emails opposing my giving this speech, as it dishonored Dr. King for me to do so. They called me a 'discredited activist' 'unworthy of such association with King'...So, I scrapped my original speech and spent the entire first half of it reading excerpts from a bunch of Dr. King's speeches, but without telling anyone that I was doing so, leading the audience to think King's words were mine. And, whew, chile, it was AMAZING.
I was invited to give an MLK speech today and a small number of members of the group hosting me wrote and then leaked emails opposing my giving this speech, as it dishonored Dr. King for me to do so. They called me a "discredited activist" "unworthy of such association with King"
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) January 17, 2022
She went on to write out all of the powerful quotes that she used to create her speech. The powerful words have as much impact today as they did when they were first spoken. Commenters on Reddit came out, expressing that, "This is what should happen with all speeches on MLK day. No new speeches made by the speakers or the organizers, just repeat MLK's speeches because his words still resonate now as it did back then."
After sharing her brilliant move with the Twitter-sphere, Jones closed out her thread saying, "If you haven't read, in entirety, his speeches, you've been miseducated & I hope that you will." This is an excellent way to honor the impact that Dr. King had on the world.
