MLK’s Former Speechwriter: ‘We Are Trying to Save the Soul of America’
Clarence B. Jones sits for a portrait at his home in Palo Alto, California, on January 3, 2024. (Photo by Marlena Sloss for The Free Press)
‘I Have a Dream’ coauthor Clarence Jones on color blindness, Ibram X. Kendi, black-Jewish relations, and why MLK ‘wouldn’t permit what’s going on.’
01.14.24
No description available.
425
In the 1960s, when Clarence Jones was writing speeches for Martin Luther King Jr., he used to joke with the civil rights leader: “You don’t deserve me, man.”
“Why?” King would ask.
“I hear your voice in my head. I hear your voice in perfect pitch,” Jones would respond. “So when I write, I can write words that accurately reflect the way you actually spea…
Start Your Free Trial to Unlock This Story
Support our journalism and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is. Get your first 7 days free.
$8.33/month
Billed as $100 yearly
$10/month
Billed as $10 monthly
Already have an account?
Sign In
