The Story of Whatever Happened to The Original Copy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" Speech

Maybe a better title might be: Why does Basketball Hall of Fame player and coach George Raveling have the original copy of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" Speech?

Raveling tells a fascinating story of how he crossed paths with Dr. King on the landmark day on August 28th of 1963. He came away with one of the defining documents of the civil rights movement.

The following video was produced in 2013 by CSN Philly. Raveling is interviewed by Ron Burke. This report won Burke the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award.



Some of the most important documents in American History can be seen at any number of museums across our country.  But what if you happened to possess one of the most sacred speeches not only in our country's history but the world's history?  What would you do?

George Raveling, at the time a local All American Basketball player, who went to college at Villanova, just outside of Philadelphia, was lucky enough to hold the original Dr. Martin Luther King  "I Have a Dream" Speech.

The following story weaves some unexpected turns which wind up with George Raveling possessing what might be the most quotable speech of the 20th Century.  He tells us how he found himself just feet from Dr King during the speech, how Dr King gave him the speech and why, to this day, not many people can actually view the three simple pages that contain the words millions have been inspired by.