Upcoming Press Conference Open to the Public, Not Just Media
Released by Tameka Kenan-Norman
January 15, 2016, marks the 87th birthday for the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a precursor to the official holiday, the City of Rocky Mount, in collaboration with North Carolina State University professor and King scholar, Dr. W. Jason Miller, will host a press conference on King’s birthday at 11:30am.
The press conference will be in the theater lobby of the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences, 270 Gay Street, in Rocky Mount NC.
The press conference will serve as the official launch of the First Dream website, where the completely restored audio of King’s November 27, 1962 speech in Rocky Mount will be available for students, researchers and the general public to hear. The site also includes a brief history of King, photographs, personal letters, educational resources and a full annotated transcript of his speech.
Miller, who developed the site, is the author of the bestselling book, “Origins of the Dream” (published by University Press of Florida). Miller had the tape of King’s 1962 “I Have a Dream” speech, given in Rocky Mount, professionally restored for the public to hear.
“We want to provide every opportunity for citizens to be aware of such an important aspect of Rocky Mount’s history,” said Sheila Long, recreation services supervisor at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences. “What better way to highlight this history than by having a press conference celebrating the release of a website that will make this restored recording accessible to everyone.”
Although media have been invited to this press conference, the event is also open to the general public.
