March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World

As Barack Obama's inauguration approaches, it feels like the culmination of the dream eloquently expressed by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in a famous speech delivered on August 28, 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial. On this day, King told the gathered thousands that he looked forward to a time when children would “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Based on the 2008 picture book written by Dr. Christine King Farris (King's sister) and illustrated by London Ladd, the iconographic-animated March On!, winsomely narrated by Lynn Whitfield, combines artwork with archival b&w stills to recreate this historic event. A third-generation preacher, King worked on his speech all night in his hotel room before meeting with other civil rights leaders the following morning. Later that afternoon, he stood before the assembled crowd (who “came in search of one thing: freedom”) and demonstrated the extraordinary power of words in one of the most important and moving American speeches ever delivered. With the election of an African-American president, the words “free at last” ring out today with special resonance. DVD extras include an interview with the author, and a read-along option. Recommended. Aud: E, P. (R. Pitman)