On August 27, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. flew to Washington DC to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom scheduled for the next day. Dr. King had not yet written down the speech he was to give, and he met with a close group of civil rights leaders in the lobby of his hotel to listen and talk together. Should he speak as if preaching in church? Had people already heard enough about his dream? Might it be best to remind the nation that America had written a “bad check” to African Americans, falling short of its promises? Certainly, justice had been too long delayed, and unrest continued to mark streets and cities as people sought to have their voices heard. Dr. King worked nearly through the night on his speech, writing and revising, then delivering it mid-afternoon on August 28 to a crowd of over 250,000 people on the Washington Mall. He spoke with authority, using rich images of our nation’s heritage and the challenges facing it. Then singer Mahalia Jackson, sitting nearby on the podium, called out: “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” His tone changed, his spirit rose, and he brought to a fiery conclusion the address that came to be known as his “I Have a Dream” speech. In A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation, author Barry Wittenstein’s narrative brings readers into both the historical context of the times and the immediacy of the moment as civil rights leaders struggled to make progress on pressing issues. Jerry Pinkney’s nuanced collage illustrations beautifully convey the layers of the story—with cameos of the participants and depictions of the expansive scene on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Author and illustrator notes and additional details about King’s advisors and the March itself are included at the end. This picture book is an inspiring tribute to Dr. King and the passion continuing to power the movement for social justice today.
Neal Porter Books / Holiday House, New York, 2019.
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