Description
‘I have a dream.’ This four word message of hope delivered on the steps of Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial by Martin Luther King Jr, is recognised around the world.
60 years on from MLK’s famous speech that helped transform the civil rights campaigner into a 20th century icon, we examine his life and legacy and ask whether the dream he hoped to one day see has been distorted.
Our panel of very special guest speakers, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, author Patricia Turner and civil rights scholar Dr. Peter Ling, will reflect on the man whose radical actions and words changed the tide of racial discrimination in the US, and started a chain reaction around the world. Join them as they discuss the impact of this powerful speech, re-explore King’s legacy following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and ask the question ‘Where are we today – and is it where MLK intended?’
About the Speakers
Keith Ellison, Attorney General
Keith Ellison has served as Minnesota’s attorney general since January 2019. He is the lead prosecutor in the matter of the May 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and led the team that successfully convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on a charge of second-degree unintentional murder, which resulted in the longest sentence of any police officer for killing a civilian while on duty in Minnesota. Attorney General Keith Ellison also led the team that successfully prosecuted former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter on a charge of first-and-second degree manslaughter in the matter of the April 2021 death of Daunte Wright.
As the People’s Lawyer, Attorney General Ellison’s job is to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his office enforced executive orders barring evictions and price-gouging, and successfully defended the constitutionality of pandemic-related executive orders in court.
Dr Peter Ling
Peter J. Ling is Professor of American Studies in the Department of American and Canadian Studies at the University of Nottingham. His previous works include the edited collection, Gender and the Civil Rights Movement, (2004), a history of the Democratic Party (2004) and a biography of Martin Luther King Jr (2015) and John F. Kennedy (2013).
Patricia Turner
Patricia A. Turner is a folklorist who documents and analyzes the stories that define the black experience. A professor at UCLA, Turner is the author of five books on topics including rumors, legends, and conspiracy theories; to African American quilters, and images of black in popular culture.
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