Last-minute volunteer took home copy of "I Have a Dream" speech

The I Have a Dream Speech: An Unscripted Moment00:00:27

The video reveals that the most famous part of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered 50 years ago, was not in the original text but was ad-libbed.

George Raveling's Role at the Lincoln Memorial00:00:48

George Raveling, then a 26-year-old former college basketball star and a last-minute volunteer, had a coveted spot near the podium during Dr. King's historic speech.

Acquiring the Historic Document00:01:26

After the speech, as people were celebrating, Raveling approached Dr. King and asked for the copy of the speech, which King handed to him. He then tucked the three pages into an autobiography of Harry Truman and largely forgot about them for decades.

Rediscovery of the Speech Text00:02:05

In 1984, a local newspaper reporter interviewed Raveling about his career as the first African-American coach at Iowa. When asked about his involvement in the civil rights movement, Raveling shared his story, leading to the rediscovery of the speech text, found exactly where he left it.

The Ad-Libbed Portion and its Impact00:02:51

The document shows an asterisk where Dr. King transitioned into the ad-libbed 'I Have a Dream' portion, turning a planned four-minute speech into a 16-minute historic address.

Guardianship and Value of the Speech00:03:12

At age 76, Raveling considers himself the guardian of the speech, emphasizing it belongs to America and not to him. He has repeatedly declined multi-million dollar offers, stating that some things, like the speech, are beyond monetary value.