To celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the national holiday recognizing his legacy, KPFK Radio Los Angeles will play an astonishing set of speeches by Dr. King which were recorded by Pacifica Radio in the 1950s and 1960s. The special programming will begin at 6am and end at 6pm (see the complete schedule here).
The centerpiece of the day will be a 1964 speech recently uncovered by the Pacifica Radio Archives; which has not been heard since the era in which it was recorded. Parts of this speech will be featured in the 6am and 9am hours – and the entire speech will be played at 5pm, in the final hour of KPFK’s daylong celebration of one of the greatest orators in history. The 1964 speech was given in London, England, on the occasion of Dr. King traveling there to deliver a message of solidarity with the international movement calling for sanctions against the South African apartheid state.
KPFK’s Alan Minsky says, “We can think of no better way to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King than to play the amazing recordings of his speeches that Pacifica Radio made in the 50s and 60s. Of the speeches which will play on Monday, eleven are available no other place. Only Pacifica was there to make a recording. Since so few media outlets took the time to record complete speeches of Dr. King, some of these have become his most celebrated, but just as many will be unfamiliar, even to King scholars. The quality of these recordings is excellent, and the content spectacular.“
Brian DeShazor, Director of the Pacifica Radio Archives adds, “After 15 years of working at the Pacifica Radio Archives, the discovery of the lost Dr. King tape is truly a proud moment in my career; and it confirms the importance of Pacifica’s independent archive and the contribution it makes to society at large.“
