Fifth-Graders Revisit King's 'Dream' Speech At The Lincoln Memorial : NPR EdStudents from Watkins Elementary School in Washington, D.C., gathered to honor the civil rights leader.
Fifth-Graders Revisit King's 'Dream' Speech At The Lincoln Memorial
By
Byrd Pinkerton
,
Lindsay Johnson
Listen to fifth-graders reciting "I Have A Dream"
Fifth-grade students recite Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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Waiting to speak, they look out over a crowd of classmates, parents, tourists — and cameras.
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Each child memorized one small phrase from Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech. They're standing in the order that they will deliver their line.
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After speaking (or, more often, shouting) their lines, the students run back to congratulatory teachers.
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After the speech, the whole class sings three civil-rights-inspired songs together, including "We Shall Overcome."
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On Friday, the fifth-graders from Watkins Elementary School in Washington, D.C., gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to recite Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. Each student delivered one line at a small lectern, and then the class sang songs from the civil rights era. This is the 14th year of the celebration.
