When the “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) on August 28, 1963, Maui resident Bryant Neal was six years old. He remembers being inspired from the first time he saw footage of Dr. King delivering the speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to over 250,000 people at the March on Washington.   

“The iconic speech is considered one of the most powerful and influential in American history and is widely credited with helping to secure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” said Neal. His portrayal of Dr. King in a 2002 stage production led to his annual delivery of the speech as part of the MLK holiday. Commonly known as MLK Day, the federal holiday was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 and is observed on the third Monday of January. 

These yearly performances have become an opportunity for him to share Dr. King’s words, which are so powerful when spoken live, with a new generation. As a minister, Dr. King was an accomplished communicator and used his oratorical skills to share his ideas with all who would listen.  

“My motivation when performing the speech is to channel Dr. King’s words with similar energy and spirit in which they were delivered by him,” Neal noted. “Dr. King’s influence was far reaching and included Hawaiʻi. He visited Hawaiʻi in 1959 when he addressed the legislature at Iolani Palace, calling Hawaiʻi a noble example of racial harmony. In 1964 he gave a major speech, Progress Toward Desegregation, to an audience of 10,000 people at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa campus during Civil Rights Week.”  

Dr. King became close with the late Reverend Abraham Kahikina Akaka from Kawaiahaʻo Church in Honolulu, who sent lei made by kupuna in his congregation to the continent in support of the civil rights movement. Dr. King and other leaders wore the Hawaiian lei during the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, which were a powerful symbol of aloha and support from the islands. 

Dr. King continues to be honored in Hawaiʻi, with Maui’s 2026 MLK Day celebration taking place at the County of Maui offices in Wailuku on January 19. Neal added, “a line-up of talented speakers, musicians, and community leaders came together to pay homage to Dr. King.”