Look What They’ve Done To My Song
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I have a nightmare: In the Afterlife, be it Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory, the soundtrack will be Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in endless loopy reruns. Why, you might ask, do I consider this inspiring, beloved emblem of ethical goodness, morality, and integration a nightmare?
Because if I hear it one more time I am going to scream!!!
I used to LOVE this song of a speech. I used to memorize parts of it to repeat, showing off at appropriate occasions. Ah, but that was many moons ago, before America was dragged kicking and screaming to recognition of MLK‘s birthday as a holiday; before official ceremonies marked not only his birthday but also his death day, speech day, and any other moment of significance to the Reverend, his life, and the Civil Rights Movement.
This year, on the 40th anniversary of the speech’s delivery, I’ve learned that it’s been copyrighted by the King family, and can no longer be repeated anytime or anyplace by anyone. Naturally, this has generated great controversy between those who have a personal interest in MLK’s words (family) and those who think he and every word he uttered belong to the public at large (the public).
I am not family; I’m the public at large, yet I’m delighted by this news. Now, if we’re lucky, the speech won’t be broadcast quite so often, and maybe it will someday be appreciated again, at least by me.
A Few Days Later:
I just ran across this wonderful quote by the Reverend that, unlike the above, isn’t overplayed:
Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate…Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Filed under: African American, Current Events, Holidays, racism, Rants Tagged: Civil rights movement, Current Events, I Have a Dream, Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, MLK, Politics
