His Dream Our Stories: Keeping the Dream Alive

“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963

The speech that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is clearly one of the greatest orations of our time. Commonly known today as the "I Have a Dream" speech for its powerful and iconic calls for racial equality, its prophetic beginning is, perhaps unsurprisingly, overlooked. 

History has indeed recorded the March on Washington as America’s greatest demonstration for freedom. Like the world wars before it, or the assassination of a president that would come just three months afterward, the March was course-altering and game-changing; one of those never-before-and-never-again events that continues to shape and impact us as a people and a society.  

It also made history in another respect. The March on Washington was one of the first major sociopolitical events to garner the type of widespread electronic media coverage we’ve now grown accustomed to. According to The New York Times, in addition to scores of print journalists, the 300,000 marchers that day included more than 500 cameramen, technicians and correspondents from all major television and radio networks. 

NBC was very well represented. It was one of the network’s first go-rounds in bringing the sights and sounds of an historic American event directly to the eyes and ears of the nation, and the world, as it unfolded. Today, such coverage is expected. Back then, it was unprecedented. The March on Washington therefore carries additional historic value for the Comcast and NBCUniversal family as one of the first installments in what has become a proud and enduring legacy of making history real, immediate, and, to an extent, interactive for our viewers. 

To commemorate this, and the sweeping historical significance of the March itself, Comcast has produced His Dream, Our Stories: a multi-platform, interactive experience sharing stories of the Civil Rights Movement and reflecting on other significant events of the time. Through commentary and NBC archival footage, it chronicles the March, the movement, and Dr. King’s legacy through more than 80 interviews with his friends and allies, Civil Rights groups, and civic and political leaders.

Play the video above to view a sampling of commentary from the following participants:

• Ambassador Andrew Young, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

• Quentin Lawson, Attended the March on Washington

• Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles, Pastor, Monumental Baptist Church, Memphis

• Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, Co-Founder and President Emeritus, SCLC

• Rev. Jesse Jackson, Founder & President, Rainbow PUSH Coalition

• Peter Yarrow, Performed at the March on Washington

• Kathryn Sheffield, Attended the March on Washington

• Harris Wofford, Former U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania

• Rev. William A. Lawson, Former President of SCLC, Houston Chapter

• Rev. Nicholas Hood, Sr., Minister Emeritus, Plymouth United Church of Christ

• Judge Brenda Hill Cole, Graduate of Spelman College, Class of 1963

• Tamron Hall, Anchor, MSNBC

• Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian, Civil Rights Leader

His Dream, Our Stories is available free on Xfinity On Demand and other digital platforms, including www.Xfinity.com/mlk, and the Xfinity TV Player App. We are also delivering His Dream, Our Stories as an eBook on iTunes, Amazon, and Nook stores. And we’ve created www.HisDreamOurStories.com so everyone — not just Comcast customers — can access everything, along with bonus footage and other features. Site visitors can also submit their stories and share our content on their own sites, blogs and social media platforms. In addition, visitors will be able to learn about current civil rights organizations and their efforts to continue Dr. King’s dream of equality.  

Comcast and NBCUniversal are honored to have been a part of history with Dr. King in 1963. And we are delighted to be in the unique position to help generations relive it for years to come. 

In a way, that’s our dream.