Celebrating the Art of Martin Luther King

I am a child of the 60's, ok well I don't want to date myself. But, I am old enough to remember Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King and I am ever so grateful that I remember seeing him as a little girl on my parents' then, black and white t.v. and hearing his beautiful articulation of the spoken word. I recall hearing his famous speeches: I Have A Dream, and Let Freedom Ring. And today, it still sends a chill down my back and tears to my eyes because while I was a child in the 60's, I remember and understood how he fought for in my mind, lots of adults, and even little children like me. As a kid, I understood that there was something special about the way he spoke. Glued to our fat, old black and white tv, with the metal, thin rod antenna, I sat listening to I Have A dream speech. I'm sure my mother made me sit and watch it, but nonetheless, I knew that there was something special about the way he spoke. The way his words formed, how they sounded like poetry. I loved the way he spoke even as a little girl, but I was a budding artist who loved Carl Sandburg's poetry, especially: "The Fog comes in on little cat feet", my favorite line. I had an ear and eye for art. While I couldn't  identify his speeches as art, I now know that Dr. Martin Luther King was indeed creative, and his speeches are an art form that still touches millions of lives not only in American but globally.
As an artist, we often say that art can inspire, encourage, and even heal, and Dr. King's artistry of the spoken word did precisely that. He was a cultural carrier of the spoken word from a long legacy of the African tradition in oral arts. And while, I understand that I can not and shall not minimize the global reaching impact of Dr King, neither did it escape me as a little girl that I understood that there was something indeed magical, artistic and creative about the way he spoke. No one has ever come close to speaking with such rhythmic, lyrical and a soulful manner. Nope, not one person. As a remember, Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King today, I am ever so grateful that I can still re-call how his artistry of the spoken word mesmerized and grabbed the attention of this little girl in the 60's like myself. Enjoy the Ed Sullivan (yes, Ed Sullivan) video of MLK speeches and Corretta Scott King, and Happy Martin Luther King Day! By the way, I loved the Ed Sullivan show!

Dr King's speeches on the Ed Sullivan show

                                                Me, as a little smiley girl in the 60's...