MLK PRAISES BLACK RADIO‘S “CULTURAL BRIDGE” IN RARE 1967 SPEECH

In August 1967 Dr. Martin Luther King was the keynote speaker at the convention of National Association of TV & Radio Announcers (NATRA) in Atlanta. His upbeat message praised black radio’s role as a “cultural bridge” by playing and promoting music that cut across racial, social and geographical lines.

Dr. King not only knew the power of radio, he was hip to what the music was about. In his speech, he talked about how popular music from Atlantic Records, Motown and many other companies had changed America’s culture. King credits the Beatles for re-introducing “soul with an English accent.”

Today we are featuring a rare recording of his speech taped by one of the convention attendees. It lives on in this YouTube video:

NATRA was a highly influential organization at the time. Joseph Gibson, a/k/a Jack the Rapper, founded the group in the late 1950s. It hosted an annual all-inclusive black/urban music showcase. Gibson invited King to speak at the 1967 gathering.

Gibson was a popular St. Louis DJ. 

He was honored for his contributions to black radio In 1989 he was inducted in the Black Radio Hall of Fame [link].