In Tribute to Dr. King

Every year as we get ready to commemorate Martin Luther King Day, I like to read a speech he gave at the opening of the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival. In his brief remarks, he spoke of the way the spirit of jazz paralleled the spirit of the civil rights movement. He also spoke eloquently about the universality of the blues and the role of jazz in African-American history. You can read the speech here.

Only it turns out that Dr. King never made a speech at the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival. Like many stories, its presence on the internet turned misinformation into fact. Further research by Bruce Jackson and David Demsey uncovered the truth: Dr. King was not in Germany at all during the festival, but the promoters had asked him to write introductory comments to be placed in the festival program, which he did. His now legendary "speech" appeared on page 3 of the booklet.

In any event, reading this speech is just one way we can celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and every other person who served our country in the struggle for civil rights. Another way is to listen to John Coltrane playing "Alabama." This was his musical response to the senseless and racist bombing of a Birmingham church in which four young black girls were killed. Coltrane patterned his opening "chant" after the cadence of Dr. King's speech at the girls' funeral.



So while you are home studying for finals, take a moment to remember why we have the day off to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to be thankful for those who struggled then and who struggle today to make our country truly free for all.