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Clarence B. Jones, Who Helped MLK Write 'I Have A Dream' Speech, Dies at 95
Jones helped plan the March on Washington and shape King’s speeches, while his legal work helped protect civil rights leaders from libel and arrest.
- Clarence B. Jones, a civil rights attorney and close adviser to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who helped draft the 'I Have a Dream' speech, died Friday at an assisted living facility in Cupertino, California. He was 95.
- After earning a law degree from Boston University in 1959, Jones practiced entertainment law in California before King recruited him in 1960 to join his legal defense team, prompting Jones to relocate to New York and become King's full-time adviser.
- Jones drafted opening lines of the 'I Have a Dream' speech, smuggled King's 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' out of his cell on scraps of paper and newspaper margins, and helped craft the 1967 'Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence' address.
- In 2024, President Joe Biden awarded Jones the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. University of San Francisco President Salvador Aceves said Jones 'generously shared his wisdom, courage, and moral vision' with students.
- Documentary 'The Baddest Speechwriter of All,' directed by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in January and will stream on Netflix later this year.
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Clarence B. Jones, who helped MLK write 'I Have A Dream' speech, dies at 95
Clarence B. Jones has died. He was a former speechwriter and confidante of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who helped pen his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.
·United States
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Total News Sources66
Leaning Left17Leaning Right4Center41Last UpdatedBias Distribution66% Center
Bias Distribution
- 66% of the sources are Center
66% Center
L 27%
C 66%
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