Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ manuscript to be displayed in Atlanta

Seven handwritten pages of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech will go on public display for the first time in Atlanta this month before being auctioned for charity.

The manuscript will be exhibited at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta from Nov. 16-22.

Christie’s, a world-leading fine art and luxury auction house, describes the manuscript as the only known handwritten final draft of the speech King delivered in front of 250,000 people at the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.

The speech, which is considered the most important speech of the 20th Century, is written in blue ink on yellow legal paper and does not include the famous “I have a dream” passage. 

After being on display in Atlanta, the pages will be displayed in Chicago and New York before being auctioned to benefit multiple charities, including Atlanta’s King Center. Christie’s will auction the manuscript in New York on Jan. 22, 2027, and expects the pages to bring more than $10 million.