King’s 1962 Speech at Dartmouth Mapped Progress, Looked to Future (VPR)

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[[{“type”:“media”,“view_mode”:“media_large”,“fid”:null,“attributes”:{“class”:“media-image alignright size-full wp-image-1613”,“typeof”:“foaf:Image”,“style”:“”,“width”:“100”,“height”:“100”,“title”:“”,“alt”:“Vermont Public Radio”}}]]In an interview with VPR, Annelise Orleck, a professor of history, discusses the speech that Martin Luther King Jr. gave at Dartmouth on May 23, 1962.

“He understood where he was. He was aiming at Dartmouth students. He was aiming at Dartmouth faculty,” says Orleck. “I actually think it was . . . both a forward- and a backward-looking speech.”

King’s speech is still relevant today, says Orleck. “On the one hand,” she says, “it is remarkable that the country has affirmed this president and it does speak to where we have come since King’s day. But at the same time there is still a great distance to go.”

Listen to the full story, broadcast 1/21/13 on VPR.

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