In August of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered what would become one of the most recognizable speeches in history. Over 250,000 civil rights protestors stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and throughout the National Mall as King declared "I Have A Dream." As we prepare for a similar act of civil disobedience later this week, many are reflecting on King's legendary oration today in honor of the national holiday that bears his name.
In a series of 15 tweets, celebrities from film, music, and television came together to tweet a single line from "I Have A Dream." Read in sequence, the tweets formed the entire speech. Participants included some of Hollywood's most outspoken directors and producers, such as Lee Daniels, Shonda Rhimes, and Tracee Ellis Ross. Common and Alicia Keys also tweeted out a line of the speech. Oprah Winfrey closed the virtual oration, which included a diverse mix of races, sexual orientations, men, women, and more in a symbol of solidarity. Read it in full, below.
#IHaveADream today!
— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) January 16, 2017
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted #IHaveADream
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) January 16, 2017
and every hill and mountain shall be made low, #IHaveADream
— lee daniels (@leedanielsent) January 16, 2017
the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight #IHaveADream
— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) January 16, 2017
and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."" #IHaveADream
— COMMON (@common) January 16, 2017
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. #IHaveADream
— Jennifer Lopez (@JLo) January 16, 2017
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. #IHaveADream
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) January 16, 2017
With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. #IHaveADream
— Connie Britton (@conniebritton) January 16, 2017
With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, #IHaveADream
— xoxo, Joanne (@ladygaga) January 16, 2017
to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, #IHaveADream
— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) January 16, 2017
knowing that we will be free one day. #IHaveADream
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 16, 2017
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: #IHaveADream
— Sean Diddy Combs (@diddy) January 16, 2017
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. #IHaveADream
— Tracee Ellis Ross (@TraceeEllisRoss) January 16, 2017
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, #IHaveADream
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) January 16, 2017
From every mountainside, let freedom ring! #IHaveADream
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) January 16, 2017
Alo, Twitter created a special Martin Luther King Jr. emoji to mark the day. A torch icon will appear alongside tweets when users use the hashtags #MLK, #IHaveADream, #MLKDay, #MartinLutherKingJr, and #MartinLutherKing.
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