A tribute that sounds (for many) awkwardly. A video broadcast Tuesday evening on the X account – formerly Twitter – of National Education caused many Internet users to react. The short clip, which has already been viewed nearly 6 million times, was posted on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Black Civil Rights on August 28, 1963, when Martin Luther King delivered his iconic speech, “I have a dream”.
In this short clip, college students are inspired by the statements of the American pastor and explain in turn in English what their dream would look like: that of equality between men and women, protection of the environment, greater tolerance between men… The message is clear. But many Internet users have pointed to the cruel lack of diversity among these young teenagers who nevertheless pay homage to a figure in the fight for civil rights.
“A profound misunderstanding of history”
“A clip using the words of MLK, without putting a single person representative of the diversity of the country in it. Magnificent work by the Ministry of National Education, ”jokes a surfer. “It’s not just a communication problem, it’s a profound misunderstanding of history and of today’s youth. It’s serious for this ministry, it’s serious that no one has tilted ”, abounds another.
Some still note the absence in this speech of any mention of inequalities between whites and racialized people. An “absurdity”, criticize some Tweetos recalling in passing that Martin Luther King spent his life fighting against racial segregation.
A justification that struggles to convince
Faced with a growing controversy, the Ministry of National Education tried to justify itself on Tuesday evening, explaining in a second tweet that the students present on the video were the winners of a “competition which encourages the creative practice of English in college.
“In order to honor the memory of Martin Luther King on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his famous speech delivered on August 28, 1963, they were invited to deliver a short speech inspired by that of Martin Luther King, beginning with I have a dream », underlined the ministry. A somewhat short explanation, given the number of repeated reviews on the social network.
“What was the obligation to choose these laureates for this speech? None”, judge a user. “MLK wanted real equality between blacks and whites, and you pay homage to it between whites,” maintains another.