Video Introduction: Most of us grew up hearing portions of the "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., but few of us were introduced to his "The Other America" speech. It isn't a short speech, but probably one worth watching for anyone who respects the legacy of Dr. King (and anyone who wants to develop a stronger understanding of some of the racial, economic, and other issues we continue to deal with in the United States, and that are also dealt with by those in many countries around the world). When describing who lives in this "Other America" about five minutes into the speech, "Appalachian Whites" are among the groups he mentions, meaning this speech was not focused entirely on race and/or racism (and actually dealt with some of the more classist policies that tend to frustrate hard-working people of all races who find it challenging to achieve and/or maintain a middle-class standard of living despite their willingness to study and work hard) . As you watch the video, try to think about connections between what Dr. King said in this speech and this topics.

(Historical Note: While the word "Negro" is different than the much more racist "N-word", it still may be surprising for some of you to hear Dr. King refer to black people as Negroes in this speech, and especially if you haven't listened to one of his speeches for a number of years. This term was commonly used language at the time, which is why Dr. King and other black people also used this term in their communication, but the term was opposed by Malcolm X and others. We've clearly moved on from this term being acceptable in society, and I'm highlighting this because it's important to remember the historical context in which language was used when interpreting it, rather than applying our current cultural norms and understanding of what is best to all previous speech across time and across cultures. Listening with this historical context in mind can help us better understand the essence of what Dr. King and other were wanting to communicate in their speeches).

MLK: The Other America

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOWDtDUKz-U

For those who sometimes struggle to focus on speeches and/or other sources of information that aren't necessarily designed to be entertaining, it might help to watch 10-15 minutes of this speech at a time in order to more effectively understand and consider what Dr. King was communicating.

After watching and maybe reflecting on the video, write_short responses (three or four sentences is okay, but you're also free to write_a little more if you would like) for each of the questions below:

1. Have you watched this speech before and what stood out to you about the speech? Does it seem similar to other speeches you've seen or read from Martin Luther King, Jr.? More specifically, was anything surprising to you about the speech and/or did anything seem more controversial than his other speeches that you're familiar with?

2. What are some connections between this speech and the assigned content from any your idea about economic ?

(Helpful Thought/Clarification: If nothing else, there are many connections with the idea of scarcity and choice, and decisions about how society should be organized. There are actually a good number of connections, and hopefully including this helps you see this and some other connections with foundational economics concepts as you watch.)