Panel Discussion: Media, Memory and the March on Washington

Fifty years have passed since Martin Luther King, Jr., presented his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Since that hot August day in 1963, Americans from all walks of life have pondered, criticized, praised, and appreciated the power of King’s words.

Rather than simply adding to the array of encomiums that will undoubtedly emerge for the golden anniversary of King’s oratory, this program brings together academic scholars and journalists who covered the March on Washington to provide a different perspective.

How have we remembered King’s speech? How have the speech and March been portrayed, represented, and understood in the media, by journalists, in popular culture? How do we teach this speech and what do we learn about this oration that changed America? What does it mean to Americans and America, fifty years later?

Panelists:
-Carole Blair, professor of communication studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
-Frank Bond, journalist
-Richard Prince, journalist
-Catherine Squires, associate professor of mass communication, University of Minnesota
-Kirt Wilson, associate professor of communication arts and sciences, The Pennsylvania State University

Moderator: Gene Policinski, chief operating officer, Newseum Institute

Location: Knight TV Studio

Note: Please use the entrance on Sixth Street, N.W.

The event is free, but reservations are required. RSVP to ahampton@newseum.org.

Follow the conversation on Twitter using #NCADream.