Mahalia Jackson’s place in history would have been secured entirely on the basis of her musical legacy even if she had not been there on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963.
Who was Mahalia Jackson to Martin Luther King?
Mahalia Jackson, however, played a crucial role in making Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech one of the most enduring and significant in American history, and it is nearly impossible to imagine her being anywhere other than in the spotlight at the historic March on Washington on August 28, 1963.
Indeed, Mahalia Jackson, who frequently played alongside Martin Luther King Jr., was his preferred opening act. On August 28, 1963, Dr King personally asked her to play the gospel song “I’ve Been ‘Buked, and I’ve Been Scorned” as she stood in front of a 250,000-person crowd to offer the final musical performance before his address.
Jackson was as familiar with Dr King’s repertoire as he was with hers, and in the same way that King felt comfortable instructing her what to sing as a prelude to what would turn out to be his most well-known speech, Jackson felt similarly.
