Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at a rally in a discount store parking lot at East 105th Street and St. Clair Avenue, in Cleveland, Ohio on July 28, 1967
King was promoting an agenda encouraging African-American communities to register to vote. He also delivered a message of self-worth and pride.
"I want to say to everybody under the sound of my voice this afternoon that you are somebody. Don't let anybody make you feel that you are nobody. You are somebody. You have dignity. You have worth. Don't be ashamed of yourself and don't be ashamed of your heritage. Don't be ashamed of your color. Don't be ashamed of your hair. I am black and beautiful and not ashamed to say it."
"Every politician respects votes, and we have enough potential voting power here to change anything that needs to be changed. And so let us set out to do it and to do it in no uncertain terms. And finally, I want to say to you that if we will organize like this, we have a power that can change this city."
