Breadcrumb Home Looking back 50 years at King's 'I Have a Dream' speech Wednesday, August 28, 2013 Arirang TV http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20130827/NEWS/308270075/?odyssey=nav%7… Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech defined a movement to improve the lives of African-Americans in this country. “Its importance was immediately apparent,” says Colin Gordon, UI history professor.