Fifty years ago today, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stood at a podium at the Lincoln Memorial to deliver his now iconic “I Have a Dream” address during the March on Washington. The Civil Rights activist expressed his hopes for racial equality in that memorable speech, and on Wednesday (August 28), celebs and non-celebs alike, using hashtags like #mlkdream50, hit Twitter with remembrances and thoughts on the historic moment.
Some of those tweeting about the speech and March on Washington simply expressed respect for the landmark event, which was credited with helping to get the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. A Twitter account, @TodayIn1963, is even recreating the event via “live tweets,” recounting what went down that fateful day.
CeeLo Green took the opportunity to mention his show with the recently reunited Goodie Mob tonight in Washington: “Almost 50 years ago to the day #MLK & the march on DC – happy to be playing there at @930Club w/ @GoodieMobMusic tonight”
Rapper Bun B made his remembrance a group affair, asking his following to tweet about their dreams, saying: “He had a dream for us all. He paid the ultimate price to see it come true. What is your dream? Who’s it for? What would you do? #IHaveADream”
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Common paid specific respect to the speech itself, using the rapidly spreading #WhatsYourDream hashtag: “I have a dream, that God’s LOVE will rule the world and all mankind can Be Happy!”
Glee‘s Amber Riley took a personal tone with her tweet, stating: “Because of you, I AM. Thank you Martin Luther King. #stilldreaming :)”
Some, like actress and model Tyra Banks, added a personal spin to their recollections. She tweeted: “In elementary school, we memorized large sections of MLK’s DREAM speech. I remember my parent’s faces as they watched me recite. Bliss.”
Others, including Twitter users @Miss_Facetious and @YulianaQP shared some MLK-inspired artwork.
For his part, President Barack Obama prepped for his own address at the Lincoln Memorial, his Twitter account alerting citizens of his 2:45 pm ET speech. Meanwhile, his pint-sized counterpart, Kid President, also studied up.
Activist and musician Billy Bragg also added a sobering note to the conversation, tweeting: “Consider the distance we have come since MLK spoke of his dream in 1963 and the distance we have yet to travel.”
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