King’s Dream

King’s Dream
Re “Founding Father” [Aug. 26 — Sept. 2]: I have been a regular reader of TIME for the past 30 years, and your special issue on Martin Luther King Jr. has redeemed my faith in the standard set by your magazine and the power of written words. Probably the only great tribute that comes close to your coverage is Richard Attenborough’s movie on the life and times of Mohandas Gandhi, King’s inspiration and role model.
Subhash Dutta,
Gurgaon, India

I can remember, as a lad growing up in Australia in the 1960s, the many times the family sat in front of the television set, watching various reports of current affairs, and seeing King in some of the broadcasts. Each time he appeared, my mother would repeat the words “I have a dream.” His speech was a truly remarkable event, and given your commemoration of its 50th anniversary, it may have been worthwhile to reprint the entire speech as well.
Ian A. Raper,
Wheelers Hill, Australia

With tears of pride I put down your “Founding Father” issue. I commend you for the quality of writing and for the very ideas you describe. I am from Chicago living in Ireland catering to a European clientele, and often my American identity embarrasses me. Today I could not be prouder. Often the news has a paralyzing effect, and we need these injections of possibility and unity. Congratulations to TIME for helping us remember our noblest moments. Congratulations to all who worked hard for that movement, for that transformative moment. America, don’t forget: you can do it again.
Patricia McGowan,
Skreen, Ireland

Though I realize how important antisegregation is to Americans, I regard it as a grave editorial mistake to almost fill an entire double issue of TIME’s international edition with it.
Vagn Fentz,
Hjorring, Denmark

Instead of the endless praise and speech stories, it would have been more appropriate to give information about King’s private life (which was not as praiseworthy) and his end at the hand of an assassin.
Vera Butler,
Melbourne

One of the arguments raised by proponents of Christianity regarding the infallibility of the Bible is its immortality — its relevance centuries after it was written. I couldn’t help but see this in King’s landmark address. I saw a speech that encompassed the ostracized in America with the downtrodden in various parts of the world. Its resonance half a century later to a person in Africa born two decades after it was delivered makes it all but immortal.
Mshelia Yahaya,
Abuja, Nigeria

Sincere thanks for your commemoration of King’s speech. Here in England we’ve always understood that civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, praised by Rachelle Horowitz in your issue, was a gay man forced by that era to remain in the shadows. This was not acknowledged in your coverage, and no photo of him was printed. My partner Stephen was 14 years old when King gave his speech, staying in a Washington hotel with his father, a visiting British nutritionist. Seeing the crowds, he disobeyed his father’s instructions and wandered out alone. Startled, smiling marchers passed the unexpected English white boy forward to the front. Thanks to the openhearted generosity of oppressed black people seeking transformation, a future gay man, growing up to his own oppression, saw and heard “I Have a Dream.”
Andrew Lumsden,
London

Fifty years later, King’s dream has not been fully realized. Indeed, the U.S. prides itself on having an African-American President, which King had hoped for. Yet blacks’ social mobility, education and job opportunities leave much to be desired. That said, his dream must live on, for it gives people the hope to move on.
Benedict Tagore,
Mumbai