Reverend Martin Luther King giving his I Have a Dream speech.
Title
Reverend Martin Luther King giving his I Have a Dream speech.
Date
1963
Medium
Photography
Creator
James P. Blair
Description
“When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have a dream,” Blair says, “I heard that loud and clear.” When King “raised his hand and he said, ‘Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last,’ I went click, click, click. That was it.” Blair had captured a defining moment during one of the most iconic speeches in U.S. history, and he’d done it in color, unlike most civil rights photography.” [2]
Regarding this iconic moment, many still shots circulate public spaces. Most consisting of black and white photos, it can’t be helped when people perceive the civil rights movement as a distant moment in time. With Blair’s access to a color camera we’re not only able to marvel in the rarity of this piece of art but recontextualize this moment in proximity to our current fight for liberation.
Regarding this iconic moment, many still shots circulate public spaces. Most consisting of black and white photos, it can’t be helped when people perceive the civil rights movement as a distant moment in time. With Blair’s access to a color camera we’re not only able to marvel in the rarity of this piece of art but recontextualize this moment in proximity to our current fight for liberation.
Publisher
Natgeo Image Collection
Subject
The Civil Rights Movement
Files
Collection
Citation
James P. Blair, “Reverend Martin Luther King giving his I Have a Dream speech.,” GLAM Center for Collaborative Teaching and Learning - Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, accessed April 25, 2024, https://glamportal.auctr.edu/items/show/3286.