Martin Luther King, Jr.

Listen Whitey! chronicles the reaction of the African-American community immediately following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unrehearsed, the people’s voices on this album offer an unblemished glimpse of a difficult moment in African American history.

Songs played a large role in the movement to close the racial divide in America during the 1960s, and prayers, chants, sermons, and shouts were also fundamental to this task. Guy and Candie Carawan recorded Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Albernathy speaking just after they were arrested for attempting to, as Caucasians, sing in a black church. Armed with only one microphone, they were fortunate enough to be released just in time to record the historic event heard here.

"I had to decide that I was a Negro and an American, a Christian, a human being who wanted to be considered as a human being and who wanted to be thought of as a human being and who wanted to be thought of as a person who gave respect and demanded respect and in this way I saw the need for maturity." Thus spoke Peggy Alexander, one of four African-Americans who engaged in a peaceful sit-in at a Greyhound lunch counter. There were a few sympathetic white business owners, such as Greenfield Pitts, leaders who found the strength within themselves to sit down with nonviolent protesters to ask what they wanted and what they expected from the community. This recording, made in 1960, explores the controversy through firsthand reflection. Also featuring the voices of Martin Luther King, Jr., John R. Cunningham and Kelly Miller Smith.

Part of the Great Speeches Video Series, produced by Educational Video Group.

This classic episode of Press Conference USA—a panel discussion in which well-known correspondents question a leading personality in the news—features the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. Robert Lodge is moderator. From the National Archives and Records Administration. (30 minutes)

Part of the Great Speeches Video Series, produced by Educational Video Group.

This historical film packages nine short segments on Martin Luther King, Jr., for February’s Black History Month. Stories include “King Holiday,” “MLK/Wreath-laying,” “Jackson/MLK,” King/Civil Rights,” “Reagan/Kids,” “MLK Bust/Capitol,” “Andy Young Reflects,” “MLK Celebration/Atlanta,” and “MLK Celebration/Washington, D.C.” From the National Archives and Records Administration. (20 minutes)

This video, produced by MacNeil-Lehrer Productions, is about obtaining perspective on Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech, then and now.