and then, mahalia jackson said "tell them about the dream." and he said the words that still resonate today. two young african american girls went to the gathering, and had a message. today, they talk about what has changed and what has not. >> ♪ ♪ >> with songs and symbols from the struggle, a new generation of the faithful. >> and we thank the mighty god for giving us a martin luther

the i have a dream is in response from mahalia jackson. >> and all of that is a continuity going all the way back to the declaration of independence through the proclamation proclam ation -- proclamation emancipation and the sweltering summer of discontent. the poetry of martin luther king. >> the speech started as prose and was an economic message, jobs. and then it moved to poetry with the church records, with the response, the song and refrain. >> one great thing, politics is not always written ahead of time. it's not scripted. there's moments when magical phenomenal things happen. there was a moderate president on civil rights jack kennedy who somehow in the crisis of alabama and birmingham in june of '63 that same year came out with the most amazing commitment send civil rights is as ancient as the scriptures. the president is on our side. this guy here martin luther king was inspired by mahalia jackson, i'm going to give this magic. >> chris, you referenced the history, that on june 11th, vivian malone tried to enter the university of alabama, george wallace blocked her. and at

he started reading from a preordained script and then we just saw a picture of mahalia jackson. what's the story behind her importance to that speech that day? >> well, the story is that as with any movement, speeches evolve as a leader oh are a speaker goes around from place to place speaking and dr. king had been talking about this dream for a while, and i guess people had advised him to make this speech entirely different and not talk about the dream, and he hadrian different speech and he was into that speech and mahalia jackson, his favorite singer, turned to him and said martin, tell them about the dream. and that's when he cut loose and started talking about it. >> i want to go back to those pictures if we can. you see the transition, you see exactly what happened. you see him serious looking at his paper there and then in just a moment after she called out to him and he started improvising and using that speech that he used before, you see him with almost a different level of energy and see him ending triumphantly. annie, what was going through your mind as you watched t

so many people don't realize it was mahalia jackson in the background saying tell them about the dreamhe had the speech written and it was warming the crowd but then it went as they say these days, next level. something that is destiny that cannot be written or scripted because it has to come from the soul. and sadly, you oo jean, it has to come so many times from great pain. >> well, it has to come from great pain but what's so extraordinairery is that it went not just to the next level but to some sort of universal truth. there is a kernel or more than a kernel of universal truth in that speech that is so rarely achieved. you know? as someone who uses words for a living, you write your whole life and you can't write anything that true and that pure. and that perfect. and it's just extraordinary. >> the speech was originally called normalcy never again. at the time in 1963, there were just five black members of congress. currently there are 43 members in the house. one in the senate. how are those african-americans, which include yourself, providing an impact, if you will, and recogni

. ♪ >> i particularly remember mahalia jackson. ♪ find me, lord >> only because everyone around me had >> hallelujah. >> mahalia was the catalyst to that moment. she was the call to order. ♪ >> she was calling everybody to attention. she had come just before dr. king spoke. ♪ [ applause ] >>> next, words that were not scheduled to be spoken. >> i was spending my time lobbying not to use the "i have a dream" speech. i thought it was trite. ♪ [ male announcer ] a man. a man and his truck... and a broken fence... and a lost calf. ♪ and the heart to search for as long as it takes. and the truck that lets him search for as long as it takes. ♪ the all-new chevy silverado. the most fuel-efficient v8 in a pickup. strong for all the roads ahead. the beach on your tv is much closer than it appears. dive into labor day with up to 50% off hotels at travelocity. try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. >>> i had been on the front lines since january. and i didn't see this as really worth my time. this was a picnic on

. ♪ >> i particularly remember mahalia jackson. ♪ find me, lord >> only because everyone around me had> hallelujah. >> mahalia was the catalyst to that moment. she was the call to order. ♪ >> she was calling everybody to attention. she had come just before dr. king spoke. ♪ [ applause ] >>> next, words that were not scheduled to be spoken. >> i was spending my time lobbying not to use the "i have a dream" speech. i thought it was trite. i have low testosterone. there, i said it. see, i knew testosterone could affect sex drive, but not energy or even my mood. that's when i talked with my doctor. he gave me some blood tests... showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% testosterone gel. the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy increases testosterone when used daily. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase

. ♪ >> i particularly remember mahalia jackson. ♪ find me, lord >> only because everyone around me had>> hallelujah. >> mahalia was the catalyst to that moment. she was the call to order. ♪ >> she was calling everybody to attention. she had come just before dr. king spoke. ♪ [ applause ] >>> next, words that were not scheduled to be spoken. >> i was spending my time lobbying not to use the "i have a dream" speech. i thought it was trite. ♪ [ villain ] well mr. baldwin... it appears our journey has come to a delightful end. then i better use the capital one purchase eraser to redeem my venture miles for this trip. purchase eraser? it's the easy way to erase any recent travel expense. i just pick a charge, like my flight with a few taps, it's taken care of. impressive baldwin. does it work for hotels? absolutely thank goodness. mrs. villain and i are planning our... you scare me. and i like it. let's go what's in your wallet? see, i knew testosterone could affect sex drive, but not energy or even my mood. that's when i talked with my doctor. he gave me some blood tests... showed it was l

. ♪ >> i particularly remember mahalia jackson. ♪ find me, lord >> only because everyone around me had >> hallelujah. >> mahalia was the catalyst to that moment. she was the call to order. ♪ >> she was calling everybody to attention. she had come just before dr. king spoke. ♪ [ applause ] >>> next, words that were not scheduled to be spoken. >> i was spending my time lobbying not to use the "i have a dream" speech. i thought it was trite. [ male announcer ] come to the golden opportunity sales event and experience the connectivity of the available lexus enform, including the es and rx. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection. i worked a patrol unit for 17 years in the city of baltimore. when i first started experiencing the pain, it's, it's hard to describe because you have a numbness... but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point i knew i had to do something. when i went back to my healthcare professional... that's when she suggested the lyrica. once i started taking the lyrica, the pain started subsiding

and then, mahalia jackson said "tell them about the dream."t still resonate today. two young african american girls went to the gathering, and had a message. today, they talk about what has changed and what has not. >> ♪ ♪ >> with songs and symbols from the struggle, a new generation of the faithful. >> and we thank the mighty god for giving us a martin luther king, we thank the mighty god who brought us a long way, from disgrace to amazing grace. >> the famous? >> he challenged us to see how we are all more alike than we are different. >> the powerful stood before the lincoln memorial. >> the march on washington teaches us that we are not trapped by the mistakes of history. that we are masters of our fate. but it also teaches us that the promise of this nation will only be kept when we work together. >> the numbers were much smaller, an estimated 30,000 compared to the record quarter million who gathered 50 years ago for one of the most important speeches in american history. >> we can never be satisfied as long as our children are ripped of

mahalia jackson, she's sitting on the platform. she had performed earlier. she yells out to him, tell them about the dream martin. tell them about the dream. just shouts out. i hear it and i see his reaction and his reaction is to take the written text and move it to the left side of the lectern and grab the podium. i said to somebody, this is all in realtime, i grabbed -- i don't grab, i lean over to the person next to me. i said these people don't know it but they're about ready to go to church. host: clarence jones reflecting on what happened 50 years ago. the title" the dream the speech and its lasting power." many of these events reflecting on the mlk speech and the march on washington are part of c-span's video library. 50 years later, how has america changed. tony is joining us fort worth, texas. caller: good morning thanks for c-span. america has changed in the last 50 years but we're nowhere close to what dr. king of speaking of caller: i was a chaplain at the university of maryland from 1962 until 1964. i was involved in a lot of the planning. we h

and he was interrupted by mahalia jackson who shouted to him, tell him about the dream, martin.ell him about the dream. most people don't know that the speech which is so frequently celebrated over the years, the i have a dream speech, that from the time mahalia jackson interrupted him, until the end of the speech, the entire balance of the speech was spontaneous and ex-tem pain yous, it was not the speech that he had written and prepared in longhand, but for the initial seven paragraphs i suggested and his own paragraphs he added. it was an amazing circumstance. and today, for example, it was very difficult for me to be there. and a lot of emotions, i said to my dear friend ambassador andy young, we put our arms around one another. i said, andy, i started to cry last night. he said, yeah, so did i. and i thought that oh, my god, i was 32 years of age, dr. king was 34. and i thought of so, so many people that i knew personally who were not there. i'm not just talking about randolph and rusten, people you see in the pictures, and some of the labor leaders. i'm thinking about peop

it was almost spiritual to hear mahalia jackson stand and sing "how we got over." and the place, in a strange sense, started rocking. so somehow and some way, it had been instilled in the very being of the participants that we must follow the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence. >> there are people everywhere as far as the eye can see, extending in a mile. and there's music, odetta, joan baez, bob dylan, mahalia jackson, peter, paul and mary. celebrities, jackie robinson, paul newman, josephine baker, sidney poitier, lena horne, ossie davis and ruby dee, charlton heston, sammy davis, jr., marlon brando. the celebrities were everywhere. but what seemed to have gripped you as you spoke, and as you've written and talked about, in a sense, was those thousands upon thousands of nameless, ordinary people who were out there. >> it was unreal, unbelievable. when i got up to speak, i could see the people, the young people. i can see those middle aged and older people. i can see some members of congress down near the foot of the podium. it was a sea of huma

mahalia jackson didn't think the speech was going very well. when you read the speech lincoln would be safe. the bounced check metaphor which resonates now was a little clunky. and he was about to go into a particularly bad passage. he then go into the i have a dream sequence. the remarkable passage came from his heart. it was not on the text. and as john lewis said he knew at that point it was no longer a political event it was now we're going church. i think that's an important -- sorry >> i was going say, john -- go ahead. >> i think it's a hugely important point that he was a minister of the lord who was calling the country to account, to moral account and in doing it, in doing so he joined lincoln before whom he stood and jefferson whom he could see off to his right as a founding father. he articulated a vision of the country as it was supposed to be. and i think that was something that was particularly in the wheelhouse of someone who was, in fact, a minister. >> yeah. it's worth noting that while john less twans audience understood the m

she's like aretha franklin and mahalia jackson. people like that.zing. >> jay: and you met her, right? >> yeah, i went twice. great fan of hers. >> jay: there you go, look at -- i got to ask you -- >> i'm the one in the middle. [ laughter ] my wife and that's my niece clara. >> jay: i got to ask you about the glasses. >> glasses? you like them? >> jay: yeah. i do like them. kind of a -- >> do you like my socks? how about the socks? >> jay: i do like your socks. [ applause ] >> i'm a fashion -- my wife -- >> jay: your wife what? >> she makes sure i look okay. >> jay: yeah, okay. >> she makes sure -- she points me in the right direction. she makes me walk slowly. she dresses me, and says, "all right, go." [ laughter ] >> jay: did she pick the orange socks? >> she picked the orange socks. >> jay: so, what other reality shows do you like? you like "american idol" do you like the kardashians? have you seen that? >> i've seen -- no, i like -- i used to like, "mob wives." >> jay: "mob wives." >> big ang. [ in new york accent ] "came over to my place. it wa

. ♪ >> i particularly remember mahalia jackson. >> only because everyone around me had just gone wild catalyst to that moment. she was a call to order. ♪ she was calling everybody to come before doctor spoke. a great one-two punch. ♪ >> next, words that were not scheduled to be spoken. >> i was spending my time lobbying. i have a dream speech, i thought it was happening. [ male announcer ] this is jim, a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto®, jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto®. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designate

it somehow came out when mahalia jackson yelled tell them about the dream. about the dream. but your father did something. did he ever try to explain to you how it came? >> quite frankly, if you look at iterations, he did one in 1960 to '61. another in detroit. so he put them all together to deliver this incredible message that moved the nation and our world. >> that crescendo that came at the end, that build, the speech was kind of prosaic, then he started talking my country 'tis of thee from the song. and the references to the bible and shakespeare. "the new york times" today pointed out -- people are going to be studying this for years. the source material of the bible, of shakespeare, of woody guthrie, of the declaration and documents all enriching that one statement. in 17 minutes. >> i mean, that's the brilliance of it. that was the brilliance of who he as an orator was. and "i have a dream" is probably one of the most well-known speeches on the planet. >> around the world. >> around the world. unquestionably. and i think certainly today represented so

gospel singer mahalia jackson and her rendition of "how i got over" went down in history. ♪ how did wee it over ♪ look back in wonder how we made it over ♪ ♪ tell me how we got over the boys used double miles from their capital one venture card to fly home for the big family reunion. you must be garth's father? hello. mother. mother! traveling is easy with the venture card because you can fly any airline anytime. two words. double miles! this guy can act. wanna play dodge rock? oh, you guys! and with double miles you can actually use, you never miss the fun. beard growing contest and go! ♪ i win! what's in your wallet? his day of coaching begins with knee pain, when... [ man ] hey, brad, want to trade the all-day relief of two aleve for six tylenol? what's the catch? there's no catch. you want me to give up my two aleve for six tylenol? no. for my knee pain, nothing beats my aleve. >>> i am here today with you because with you i share the view that the struggle for civil rights and the struggle for equal opportunity is not the struggle of negro americans but the struggle for every amer

spurred on by mahalia jackson who said, tell them about the dream. will be remembered as one of the most brilliant and important speeches in american history. >> let it ring. from every state and every city. we will be able to speed up that day when all of god's children, black men and white men, pros stents and catholics will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old negro spiritual, free at last, free at last, thank god almighty, we are free at last. >> joining me now, congresswoman eleanor holmes norton. the democratic dell gat for washington, d.c. during the first part of the summer of 1963, she worked for the student nonviolent coordinating committee in greenwood, mississippi. she was on the staff of the march of washington. also, kweisi mfume. and the national editor for "vanity fair," the author of the upcoming book, "an idea whose time has come, two presidents, two parties and the battle for the civil rights act." thank you for joining me. congresswoman, i want to start with you. you have probably some very distinct memories. i w

suddenly, singer mahalia jackson burst forth. >> i see her i see her, when her voice comes, i say, telleam, martin. tell them about the dream. >> reporter: the dream, his dream. a refrain he had been using in speeches on the road. but it was not part uh the speech he prepared for that day. his advisers told him he needed something new. but suddenly -- >> i still have a dream. >> yes! >> -- it is a dream deeply rooted in the american dream. >> when i heard him say "i have a dream," i said, oh, expletive, because we had been up and down the steps all night working on this alternate ending climax. >> reporter: adviser wyatt t. walker who said they all recognized that dr. king was now alive, transformed. >> we were all wrong. >> little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. i have a dream today. >> reporter: so did billy gundrum. that's him in the park ranger hat guarding the podium. >> it wasn't just for black people. it was trying to raise all people up, all mankind. >> reporter: so did the late civil rights le

all the wynans who came out, and that was an important part of 1963, when mahalia jackson came out. >we'll have today, peter, paul and mary were there. we're actually going to have paul join us later in the show. bill russell was invited to speak 50 years ago. and he chose not to, because he thought you know he didn't want as a sports star to in any way distract attention from people who he thought had earned and deserved more people on that stage. that is the kind of spirit that i think is hard to find in the modern media age of people rushing to microphones. >> it is. it is hard to find. it is awfully hard to find. but you know who else i thought was good today? i thought jamie foxx was good. and in a sense he kind of called out hollywood to be active and to be supportive. he mentioned some people who were doing things that he thought were admirable. i thought he gave a good speech and of course did some good impressions, too. >> gene robinson, thank you for being here on this important night, thank you for joining us. >> happy to be here, lawrence. >>> coming up, the only speaker t

king had already begun when in ha mahalia jackson spoke up, tell them about the dream.put him on the path of speaking words of american scripture. it is fascinating. i don't think most people know that the whole "vy a drei have section of the speech was extell praness. >> off the cuff. it was and image that had been in the air but the speech itself as written was not a soaring piece of oratory. the sentence he actually canned and went into the dream after he heard jackson was really clunky. >> and was it and so today let us go back to ur communities as members of the international association for the advancement of creative dissatisfaction. >> there you go. >> he made a good call. >> i liked it. >> just the whole dream goes all the way through. my argument in the piece -- "time's" done this great issue, beautiful photographically and lots of oral histories and that sort of thing, is that king's words offer us a measure by which we can tell how far we've come and how far we have to go which puts it on a level with jefferson's deck la ratilaratio independence. >> i think

. >> you mentioned mahalia jackson. bob dylan also performed at the event.'t have many stories because he was so low on the totem pole in those days. he wrote a song called "oxford town," only a pawn in the game. of course the times are achanging would be coming out soon. he became is voice of the civil rights movement. this was a day when the leaders of the naacp, john lewis representing the young people . but it was a day really building up like a rock concert would for the moment for martin luther king king. he was world renowned as a person who spawned the montgomery bus boycott of 1955. he was a figure when he was arrested the president of the united states would make calls to. he was a rock star really, leading the legions that day. >> one thing i found interesting is there wasn't a big role for women at this rally. rosa parks did speak. but later she complained that women didn't play a bigger part. >> she complained to me about it. i wrote a biography of her. she said it was very annoying because all of the men were grabbing the tspots. the women as e

gospel singer mahalia jackson and herren addition of "how i got over" went down in history. ♪ how did wonder how we made it over ♪ ♪ tell me how we got over [ whispering ] uh! i had a nightmare! the house caught fire and we were out on the streets. [ whispering ] shhh. it's only a dream. and we have home insurance. but if we made a claim, our rate would go up... [ whispering ] shhh. you did it right. you have allstate claim rate guard so your rates won't go up just because of a claim. [ whispering ] are we still in a dream? no, you're in an allstate commercial. so get allstate home insurance with claim rate guard... [ whispering ] goodnight. there are so many people in our bedroom. [ dennis ] talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] ...and let the good life in. still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. do you mind grabbing my phone and opening the capital one purchase eraser? i need to redeem some venture miles before my demise.

mahalia jackson saying, how we got over?ands of us together, it seemed like the whole place, the whole mall, started rocking. somehow in some way, peace, love, and nonviolence had been instilled in the very being of all the participants. we believed in every human being, even those violent toward us, there was the spark of the divine. we had a right to protest. we have a right to demand this nation respect the dignity and worth of every human being. people were moved and inspired by the vision of justice and the quality and were willing to put their lives on the line. martin luther king jr., this man, inspired all of us with his he was the last speaker. he took those marble steps of the lincoln memorial. he gave us hope. i spokeired a nation. number six. i said something like, we march today for jobs and freedom, though we have nothing to be proud of for hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters are not here. receiving starvation wages or no wages at all. at the end of my speech, i said, where is our party? where is

mahalia jackson sang how we got over.elieve in every human being, even those who were violent toward us there was a spark of the divine. and no person had the right to scar or destroy that spark. martin luther king jr. taught us the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence. he taught us to have the power to forgive, the capacity to be reconciled. he taught us to stand up, to speak up, to speak out, to find a way to get in the way. people were willing to put their bodies on the line for a greater cause, greater than themselves. not one incident of violence was reported that day. because of the leadership of the movement. the spirit of dr. king's words captured the hearts of people not just around america but around the world. on that day, martin luther king jr. made a speech, but he also delivered a sermon. he transformed these marble steps of the lincoln memorial into a modern-day pulpit. he changed us forever. after the ceremony was over, president kennedy invited us back down to the white house. he met us s

mahalia jackson sang how we got over.d like the whole place started rocking. we truly believe in every human being, even those who were violent toward us there was a spark of the define. and no person had the right to scar or destroy that spark. martin luther king jr. taught us the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence. he taught us to have the power to forgive, the capacity to be reconciled. he taught us to stand up, to speak up, to speak out, to find a way to get in the way. people were willing to put their bodies on the line for a greater cause, greater than themselves. not one incident of violence was reported that day. because of the leadership of the movement. the spirit of dr. king's words captured the hearts of people not just around america but around the world. on that day, martin luther king jr. made a speech, but he also delivered a sermon. he transformed these marble steps of the lincoln memorial into a monitor-day pulpit. he changed us forever. after the ceremony was over, president kennedy i

mahalia jackson sang how we got over. rocking. we truly believe in every human being, even those who were violent toward us there was a spark of the divine. and no person had the right to scar or destroy that spark. martin luther king, jr. taught us the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence. he taught us to have the power to forgive, the capacity to be reconciled. he taught us to stand up, to speak up, to speak out, to find a way to get in the way. people were willing to put their bodies on the line for a greater cause, greater than themselves. not one incident of violence was reported that day. because of the leadership of the movement. the spirit of dr. king's words captured the hearts of people not just around america but around the world. on that day, martin luther king, jr. made a speech, but he also delivered a sermon. he transformed these marble steps of the lincoln memorial into a modern-day pulpit. he changed us forever. after the ceremony was over, president kennedy invited us back down to the wh

and even though the only voice from a woman was mahalia jackson, and she did the national anthem.he conveyed to us wisdom. she conveyed to us to see a diplomat, no matter what the circumstances might be your and she conveyed to us that this is a moment that is a deciding moment for women. out of that is it is a deciding moment for women. and some of you may not know if you go to her book open wide freedom gates, she will say to you, she used the words by saying it was a deciding moment for women to know that you have to band together to start fighting for the rights and the policies and issues for women. and even though i understand there were meetings afterwards, but she did call a meeting of women organizations. and she just didn't call women from the national council of negro women are the national council of delta sorority. she called women. she called the national council of catholic women. she called the national council of jewish women. she called the church women united. she called them altogether. i loo looked at the group and id this is a group that is formed -- those we