Jim McWilliams, Retired Professor of Literature
Monday, March 13, 2023,
2:30-3:30pm,
ASA Koffler Great Room & Zoom
On August 28th 1963, Martin Luther King gave his most eloquent and famous speech, “I Have a Dream.” One of the most memorable quotes from that speech follows: “ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” This is the idea of the “beloved community” in which people from all backgrounds learn to live together in peace and harmony, and where conflict can be settled justly and without violence.
Jim McWilliams presentation will explore MLK’s ideas through two fictional works by novelist Charles Johnson, a National Book Award winner who has written extensively about MLK and his philosophy. Together, we will consider Johnson’s novel Dreamer (1998), which presents a fictionalized account of King’s summer in Chicago in 1966, and his short story Dr. King’s Refrigerator (2005) which imagines a midnight snack in 1954 for the man who was about to lead a Civil Rights revolution.
Jim McWilliams is a retired English Professor focused on modern British and American literature. He moved to Tucson in 2018 upon retirement. He spends his time between taking courses in history and archeology and volunteering.
Compiled and Edited by Roxy Mitchem-Horn, Academy Village Volunteer
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