Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister and African American civil rights leader. On August 18, 1963, he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/190">March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom</a>. A plaque on the steps of the Memorial marks this event. In 2012, the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/156">Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial</a> was dedicated on the National Mall to commemorate King's work and his vision for equality and national unity. <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Martin+Luther+King+Jr.">Martin Luther King Jr.</a> National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures. <a href="http://research.archives.gov/description/542068">View original photograph</a>. <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1950-1979">1950-1979</a> <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2000-present">2000-present</a>