Got MLK?
This third Monday in January brings us to the 10th celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday, across the county, in every state in the Union. MLK Day was first observed in 1986 after the long awaited bill recognizing the day was signed into law in 1983 by President Regan. Initially, some states defied holding a holiday in honor of Dr. King, joining the day with other holidays or calling it other names. The King Holiday was formally observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.
Was there any greater orator? Inspiring millions with the themes of justice, compassion, service reconciliation, and peace. Was there any greater orator?
So however, you observed this MLK day – with moments of silence, service, celebration, rejoicing or remembrance – I think the key is to let the holiday, and King’s spirit, live on somehow in the world, beyond this day. I think I’ll start with learning more about the Reverend by listening to his autobiography, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. which is edited by Clayborne Carson and narrated by LeVar Burton. This is the project for which Burton won the Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Award for in 2000. Burton is also well known for portraying Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Michael Mann film Ali. In addition to these and other on camera roles, Burton has an extensive voice-over resume, with characters in several animated projects including Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Family Guy, Gargoyles, and The New Adventures of Captain Planet to name a few.
Make it a good MLK Day… and beyond.
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As an important device in the world of audio engineering and voice-over (VO), the VU Meter serves as the inspiration for monitoring and measuring the voice-over industry over time via the "VO Meter" blog. Subscribe to the “VO Meter” via RSS feeds or receive email updates and be treated to a bit of voice-over history and trivia with each entry.
Blog Author: Kevin Readdean, Voice Talent, KevinsVoice.com
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