In celebration of Dr. King’s Birthday I wanted to share some of my favorite speeches from him as well as a few films, documentaries, and television series that feature his life and legacy. I wanted to make sure I shared some hidden gems, along with a few speeches and films that I have learned about through my time as a student and now professor. Check them out below:
Dr. G’s Fave Speeches from Dr. King:
- “Proud to be maladjusted” [Dartmouth College, 1962]
- Letter from a Birmingham Jail [Birmingham, AL, April 16, 1963]
- “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence” [Riverside Church, New York City, April 4, 1967]
- The Drum Major Instinct [Atlanta, GA, February 4, 1968]
- I’ve Been to the Mountaintop [Memphis, Tennessee, April 3, 1968]
Films, Documentaries, and Television Series [*Premium Subscription]
- King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis (1970) [Can be found on Apple TV and Amazon Prime*]
- Eyes on the Prize series (1993) [Can be found on HBO Max and Amazon Prime*]
- Boycott (2001) [Can be found here and on HBO]
- Selma (2014) [Can be found on Showtime, Amazon Prime*, and Hulu*]
- King in the Wilderness (2018) [Can be watched here and on HBO]
- I Am MLK Jr. (2018) [Can be found on Paramount Network]
- MLK/FBI (2020) [Can be found on Hulu and Apple TV+]
As an extra bonus you can also check out this 360 Look at the National Civil Rights Museum which features Dr. King’s legacy.
“Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.” ~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Black Future Feminist 