Martin Luther King III inspired by father's 'I have a dream speech' even after 50 years

The eldest son of Martin Luther King still feels inspired by the revolutionary speech his father gave in 1963 for the African-American civil rights movement calling for equality of Africans.

Martin Luther King Jr had given the famous 'I have a dream..' speech exactly 50 years ago and his son Martin Luther King III was just five at that time but even today the speech appeals to him and reminds him of the euphoric energy that filled their family back then.

King Jr.'s speech became a rallying cry for the African-American Civil Rights movement, a call for equality that began to unite a country divided by racial segregation, Mirror reports.

King III said that he didn't really begin to appreciate the actual message that his father delivered then but he remembers how upbeat they were about bringing a change in the society.

He said that at seven years of age when he listened to the speech he was moved to tears as his father had made a reference to his dream being that his four children would one day live in a nation where they would not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.

King III, now 55 and a human rights activist carrying on his father's crusade himself experienced racism while in school but his father's absence was more difficult to deal with when he was shot down on April 4, 1968 on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, aged just 39.

The report said that today in Washington, King Jr.'s powerful speech will be commemorated at a ceremony attended by President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton at the Lincoln Memorial.

King III said that having an African-American president was only a very small part of the dream adding that responsible steps need to be taken to address issues like little black children being gunned down in the country and make the world a better place for Yolanda and all God's children.