The historic speech “We Shall Overcome” that was recited by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in 1965 has been donated to the University of Memphis.
The document is a 20-page manifest that includes edits and handwritten additions to the speech by Dr. King.
Otis Sandford, professor at the University of Memphis, said he believes its monumental for the original copy of that speech to be on campus.
“It’s wonderful to have something that historic on this campus. In fact, it’s monumental.” Sandford said. “This speech is a tangible symbol of what Dr. King stood for, and just the knowledge of it being on this campus says a lot. In fact, Memphis holds a special place in the life of Dr. King and not just in the death of Dr. King. He was here more than just on April 4, 1968, when he got shot and killed. He has been here several times before to try and make a difference in the lives of black people, helping them register them to vote among many other things.”
Adrienne Dyer, Sophomore at the University of Memphis, said that she thinks it is great that the speech is being donated to the University of Memphis.
“I think it is great that the speech was donated to us. It will be good for the school.”
Sandford also talked about the day he first heard the “We Shall Overcome” speech in 1963. Sandford was 10-years-old at the time and said even at that age; he felt the impact of that speech.
“I remember being in an oratory contest at 15 to get a scholarship to go to college, and I gave a speech referring to the Dr. King speech, giving him credit, of course,” Sanford said. “I had an intimate familiarity with the speech early on in my life, and I knew at that point that his speech was some powerful stuff. It is everlasting, and it made a difference in the lives of black people. It inspired us to fight for our rights.”
Reyanna Lizana, a junior at the University of Memphis, said she’s excited about the speech being available at the University of Memphis.
“I’m glad they donated the speech to us,” Lizana said. “Having the original text could lead to more possibilities in learning about Dr. King’s process and hopefully being able to integrate his teachings into our classes.”
Sandford talked more about how the speech impacted him and the people around him more, and rather the civil rights movement would have been as successful without the “We Shall Overcome” speech.
“I lived in a different time where I had to be careful, and we were fighting for our rights,” Sanford said. “We had to stand up for ourselves, and it was inspiring seeing this one-man fight for our rights. Dr. King was already doing things before that speech. As a matter of fact, he participated in the Montgomery Boycott. So, he was known, but the speech put him in front of a much larger audience. He got national coverage, and this was the first time they stopped and paid attention to him. Washington DC, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, is extremely different from a street in Birmingham.”
