The Fiftieth Anniversary Of The “I Have A Dream” Speech

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, D. C.
Wednesday 28 August 1963




50th March on Washington image from the website local328.org

Monday Morning Museum: Pointillism

Pointillism – France in the 1880s

“Pointillism /ˈpwɛntɨlɪzəm/ is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, and is now used without its earlier mocking connotation.” – Wikipedia.org

In addition to Henri-Edmond Cross (see art example below), other Pointillists are Georges Seurat, Paul Signac and Camille Pissarro

Les Iles d’Or, circa 1891-1892 by Henri-Edmond Cross (1856-1910)

“An exhibition of the work of Henry-Edmond Cross opened at the Druet Gallery in Paris on 21 March 1905. Emile Verhaeren, in a letter prefacing the catalogue, described the surroundings in which his friend had been living since he had joined him in the South of France: "I see the sea close by, the mountain chain of the Maures and in the distance the islands of Hyères, so beautiful that they are called the Golden Isles. […] the mountains unroll their ornamental line along the horizon and in the curve of the beaches, between the points of a succession of large capes, the fine yellow sand sparkles in the light". The poet could be describing the landscape of The Golden Isles which Cross painted in 1891-1892.

Although the subject of the canvas is indeed the islands, Cross has eliminated all picturesque elements and concentrated on the effects of light on colour. The various elements in the landscape become three large coloured bands: the sand, sea and sky.

In keeping with the Neo-impressionist technique that he had recently begun to apply, he used rounded brushstrokes of various sizes from the dabs in the foreground to the tiny dots on the horizon, adjusting the spacing to create a slight effect of perspective. The very high horizon line running across the composition is a direct reference to the Japanese art of Ukiyo-e prints.

Such a resolutely modern work could not fail to please Felix Fénéon, an ardent defender of Neo-impressionism, who bought it. The canvas was no doubt Cross' most daring work; it joined the national collections in 1947 after the first auction of the critic's collection.” – Musée d’Orsay

Last Monday’s Art – Photorealism
Next Monday’s Art – Pop Art

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Monday Morning Museum: Photorealism

Photorealism – From the 1960s to the 1970s

“Photorealism is the genre of painting based on using cameras and photographs to gather visual information and then from this creating a painting that appears to be photographic. The term is primarily applied to paintings from the United States art movement that began in the late 1960s and early 1970s.” – Wikipedia.org

In addition to Richard Estes (see art example below), others practitioners of Photorealism are Chuck Close and Audrey Flack.

Paris Street Scene, 1972 by Richard Estes (1932-Present)

Last Monday’s Art – Op Art
Next Monday’s Art – Pointillism

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Monday Morning Museum: Op Art

Op Art – From the 1950s to the 1960s

Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions.

"Optical art is a method of painting concerning the interaction between illusion and picture plane, between understanding and seeing." Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made in black and white. When the viewer looks at them, the impression is given of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibration, patterns, or alternatively, of swelling or warping. – Wikipedia.org

In addition in Victor Vasarely (see art example below), other Op Art artists are Josef Albers, Maurits Cornelis Escher, Bridget Riley, Richard Anuszkiewicz, François Morellet and Jesús-Rafael Soto.

Zebegen by Victor Vasarely (1908-1997)

Last Monday’s Art – Neo-Plasticism
Next Monday’s Art – Photorealism

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Monday Morning Museum: Neo-Plasticism

Neo-Plasticism – Holland from 1920 to 1940

De Stijl (/də ˈstaɪl/; Dutch pronunciation: [də ˈstɛil]), Dutch for "The Style", also known as neoplasticism, was a Dutch artistic movement founded in 1917. In a narrower sense, the term De Stijl is used to refer to a body of work from 1917 to 1931 founded in the Netherlands. De Stijl is also the name of a journal that was published by the Dutch painter, designer, writer, and critic Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931), propagating the group's theories. – Wikipedia.org

In addition to Theo Van Doesburg (see art example below), other practitioners of Neo-Plasticism are Piet Mondrian, Vilmos Huszar, Jean Gorin, Charmion von Wiegand and Ilya Bolotowsky.

Peinture Pure, 1920 by Theo Van Doesburg (1883-1931)

Réalisée en 1920, quand Mondrian publie Le Néoplasticisme chez Léonce Rosenberg à Paris – et que Van Doesburg choisit le pseudonyme de I.K. Bonset pour éditer la revue dada Mécano (1920-1927) –, Peinture pure (cat. rais. no 652) est exemplaire de l’évolution du système plastique globalisant de Van Doesburg, appliqué à toutes les pratiques artistiques : peinture, architecture, arts décoratifs et typographie. . . . Le titre Décomposition sous lequel Peinture pure a été exposée dans les années 1920 (La Haye, « La Section d’Or », 11 juillet-1er août 1920) avant de prendre son nom actuel à l’exposition du Salon des Indépendants à Paris, en 1929, est significatif des deux formules d’« élémentarisation » et d’« intégration », élaborées par De Stijl. Le terme d’élémentarisation signifie décomposition de la forme en une série de composantes réduites à quelques éléments, et celui d’intégration désigne l’articulation de ces éléments entre eux en un tout indivisible et non hiérarchique. Avec Peinture pure, Van Doesburg considérait qu’il avait atteint son but d’« une composition entièrement plate dans laquelle le point central est en dehors de la peinture ». Proche d’une autre peinture modulaire de 1920, Composition XX (Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza), elle s’en distingue par la présence, dans le coin gauche de la toile, d’un grand carré d’un blanc vibrant, qui contredit ironiquement le caractère mécaniquement répétitif de la trame picturale. – Centre Georges Pompidou

Approximate translation:

Made in 1920, when Mondrian published Le Néoplasticisme (The Neoplasticism) at Léonce Rosenberg in Paris - and that Van Doesburg chose the pseudonym I.K. Bonset to edit the dada magazine Mécano (Mechanic) (1920-1927) - Peinture pure (Pure Painting) (cat. rais. No. 652) is an example of the evolution of the plastic holistic system of Van Doesburg, applied to all artistic practices: painting, architecture, decorative arts and typography. . . . The title Décomposition (Decomposition) under which Peinture pure (Pure Painting) was exhibited in the 1920s (The Hague, "The Golden Section", 11 July-1 August 1920) before taking its current name to the exhibition of the Salon des Indépendants (Show of the Independents) in Paris, in 1929, is significant of the two forms of "elementarisation" and of "integration", developed by De Stijl. The term elementarisation refers to decomposition in the form of a series of components reduced to a few elements, and the integration refers to the articulation of these elements together indivisible and non-hierarchical. With Peinture pure (Painting Pure), Van Doesburg believed he had achieved his goal of "a fully flat composition in which the focus is outside the painting". Close to another modular painting of 1920, Composition XX (Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza), it is distinguished by the presence, in the left corner of the canvas, of a large square of vibrant white, which ironically contradicts the mechanically repetitive nature of the pictorial frame.

Last Monday’s Art – Neoclassicism
Next Monday’s Art – Op Art

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