Finding King’s Speech: English Professor’s Research Uncovers Historic Recording
- Aug 12, 2025
- 1 min read
By Lauren Kirkpatrik
For years, Rocky Mount citizens have told tales about hearing the first rendition of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech.
Before 1,800 people in a crammed high school gym, King talked about his “dream” and uttered other familiar passages in the fall of 1962. It was nine months before the March on Washington.
More than 50 years later, an NC State English professor’s research is bringing that same speech back to life. After discovering and restoring a recording of King’s Rocky Mount speech, Dr. Jason Miller, associate head of the university’s Department of English, is airing the address for public consumption.
