Last year around this time, as folks surfing wave after pandemic wave faced a difficult decision of whether to gather together on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we suggested for those staying home a streamable festival of films about MLK and the fight for Civil Rights. Now that more of us are feeling comfortable out walking, although many are still reluctant to gather in crowds during what has been called the triple-demic of flu, RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus), and COVID, we offer up a range of downloadable audiobooks so that whether you march with others or just take a quiet walk on your own, you can walk along with Dr. King.
There are several recordings of King’s own speeches and sermons to choose from, from the epic 15+ hour essential box set, to the somewhat briefer anthology A Call to Conscience, or the more sermon-centric A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration From the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and its political counterparts The Birth of a New Nation and Where Do We Go From Here? All of these compilations were assembled by Stanford
historian Clayborne Carson, and feature original audio of King’s stirring and profoundly impactful oratory together with helfpul introductions and commentary for added historical context. For a briefer selection for young and old listeners alike, check out King for Kids, in which recordings of King’s most iconic speeches are introduced by such notable Americans as George McGovern, Coretta Scott King, and Andrew Young. Or to focus in on King’s best known speech, check out I Have a Dream, which features the orginal recording of Dr. King’s speech, together with a reading by actor Blair Underwood, and a new foreword written and read by poet Amanda Gorman.