Handwritten draft of MLK's 'I Have a Dream' found in desk drawer

Handwritten draft of MLK's 'I Have a Dream' found in desk drawer2 publishers · first seen Mon, 09 Nov 2026 18:16 UTC · updated Tue, 10 Nov 2026 21:45 UTCChristie's will auction the only known handwritten manuscript of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 'I Have a Dream' speech on January 22, 2027. The seven yellow pages, discovered in the late 1990s by Xernona Clayton, wife of one of King's aides, include edits and cross-outs. The manuscript, expected to sell for over $10 million, will be on display at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta from November 16-22 and at Christie's New York from January 15-21. The auction proceeds will benefit charities supporting the legacies of Clayton and King, including the Xernona Clayton Foundation and the King Center in Atlanta.Content auto-generated. May contain inaccuracies.

The Handwritten Final Draft of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' Speech Was Considered Lost. It Turned Out to Be Sitting in a Desk Drawer for Decades (Smithsonian Magazine, Tue, 10 Nov 2026 21:45 UTC)

Handwritten draft of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech to go on public display in Atlanta (11Alive, Tue, 10 Nov 2026 21:29 UTC)