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Short Form Video Content for MLK Day 2025

This year the Mission & Belonging department has collaborated with the MSJ Library to suggest short form video content to supplement our MLK Day 2025 Display and 'Leisure Reads'.  The following videos deal with the Civil Rights Movement, racial justice, and related topics.

Online Videos recommended by Mission & Belonging:

• “I Have a Dream” Speech / Martin Luther King, Jr. [YouTube]
• The Fight for Civil Rights and Freedom / John Lewis & Bryan Stevenson [TED Legacy Project]
  “Civil rights leader and longtime US congressman John Lewis spent his life fighting for freedom and justice for everyone. In this illuminating conversation with lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson, Lewis discusses the essential importance of voting, shares encouraging words of wisdom for the generation of young people currently organizing in the struggle for racial justice and tells moving stories from his decades of making 'good trouble' -- at the Freedom Rides, March on Washington and in the halls of Congress. "When you see something that's not right or fair or just, you have to say something," Lewis says. ‘You have to do something.’” – Publisher’s Summary
• The Most Powerful Woman You’ve Never Heard Of / T. Morgan Dixon & Vanessa Garrison [TED2018]
  “Everyone's heard of Martin Luther King Jr. But do you know the woman Dr. King called ‘the architect of the civil rights movement,’ Septima Clark? The teacher of some of the generation's most legendary activists—like Rosa Parks, Diane Nash, Fannie Lou Hamer and thousands more—Clark laid out a blueprint for change-making that has stood the test of time. Now T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, the cofounders of GirlTrek, are taking a page from Clark's playbook to launch a health revolution in the US—and get one million women walking for justice.” – Publisher’s Summary
• The Path to Ending Systemic Racism in the US / Dr. Phillip Atiba Solomon, Rashad Robinson, Dr. Bernice King, & Anthony D. Romero [TED2020]
  “In a time of mourning and anger over the ongoing violence inflicted on Black communities by police in the US and the lack of accountability from national leadership, what is the path forward? Sharing urgent insights into this historic moment, Dr. Phillip Atiba Solomon, Rashad Robinson, Dr. Bernice King and Anthony D. Romero discuss dismantling the systems of oppression and racism responsible for tragedies like the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and far too many others -- and explore how the US can start to live up to its ideals.” – Publisher’s Summary
• An Unsung Hero of the Civil Rights Movement / Christina Greer [TED-Ed]
  “In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech at the March on Washington to nearly a quarter million people. None of it would have been possible without the march's chief organizer – a man named Bayard Rustin. Christina Greer details his life of advocacy as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, and the challenges he faced as an openly gay Black man.” – Publisher’s Summary
• Using Your Voice is a Political Choice / Amanda Gorman [TED-Ed Weekend]
  “For anyone who believes poetry is stuffy or elitist, Amanda Gorman—the youngest inaugural poet in US history—has some characteristically well-chosen words. ‘Poetry is for everyone,’ she says, ‘and at its core it's all about connection and collaboration.’ In this fierce talk and performance, she explains why poetry is inherently political, pays homage to her honorary ancestors and stresses the value of speaking out despite your fears. ‘Poetry has never been the language of barriers,’ Gorman says. ‘It's always been the language of bridges.’” – Publisher’s Summary
• The US Needs a Radical Revolution of Values / Dr. Bernice King [TED2020]
  “To cultivate a society grounded in equity and love, we must uproot systems of oppression and violence towards Black communities, says Dr. Bernice Albertine King, community builder and daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In a time of mourning and protest, King calls for a revolution of values, allies that engage and a world where anger is channeled into social and economic change. ‘Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation,’ King says. ‘Every generation is called to this freedom struggle.’” – Publisher’s Summary