Living the spirit of MLK. Hear the ‘rarely told’ story of his dream for the nation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Arthur Broady will present two back-to-back multimedia programs on MLK speeches.
- Performances run Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 at Richland Players Theater; tickets $10.
- Broady links personal history and civil rights context to sustain King legacy year-round.
Arthur Broady says he lives the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Day “every day of my life.”
The U.S. Air Force veteran is a Hanford nuclear site retiree and former Pasco School Board member, and incidentally the nephew of “Hidden Figures” mathematician Katherine Johnson.
He was in the 10th grade, living under segregation in Virginia, when King made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. That speech, and the struggle to advance civil rights for Black Americans, played a pivotal role in the direction of his life.
“It’s important to me because I know the difference it made to my life, personally,” he told the Tri-City Herald.
The 78-year-old motivational speaker and storyteller from Richland will offer details behind two of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most iconic and moving speeches at a two-hour presentation this weekend.
Broady’s presentation on the pinnacle speech — titled “The Dream... We Almost Never Heard” — brings the audience back to August 1963, on the humid day that rallied more than a quarter-million people for the March on Washington.
He details the “rarely told” story of how King came to talk about his “dream” for the nation.
His presentation on King’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech provides background and “astonishing” details about the civil rights icon’s hesitancy to accept the distinction in the midst of ongoing racial tensions.
Broady’s objective with the presentations is to the keep the memory and legacy of King’s life and cause instilled in people throughout the whole year.
Too often, he says, people place the beloved reverend in a “store room” during the other 11 months.
He plans back-to-back, multimedia presentations about King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and his Nobel Prize acceptance in an event Broady billed as “The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
He’s given these presentations throughout the community in earnest since 2023, mostly in local churches, but this is the first time he’ll give both at a single event. Gospel soloist Daphne Jackson will accompany him.
The two performances with an intermission will be at the Richland Players Theater, at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18. Tickets are $10, and admission is free for children 12 and younger.
Broady was the first Black man to enroll at the historic Emory and Henry University in 1966, and he’s been honored as a distinguished alum.
His career has spanned various industries, including government contracts, human resources and skill development.
He’s also told stories about his sixth great-grandfather’s life of slavery and eventual freedom.
He hopes this year’s presentation generates more interest and passion with the younger generation, too.
“We don’t hear a lot about brotherhood and sisterhood, we don’t hear much of content of character these days,” Broady said. “We don’t hear much about the things he ultimately died for until January comes around.”
It’s taken an effort to marry the two speeches in one event, he said, noting that he knows about “95% of it without notes.”
He said he is grateful to have the support of the African American Cultural and Educational Society for this year’s event.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 10:21 AM.
