Dr. Clarence B. Jones, MLK's Speechwriter And Counsel, To Speak In Gloucester Township

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Dr. Clarence B. Jones, a speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who helped compose the "I Have a Dream" speech, will visit Camden County College for a discussion and book signing.

"An Evening with Dr. Clarence B. Jones" begins at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Dennis Flyer Memorial Theater at Camden County College's Blackwood Campus (200 College Dr., Gloucester Township).

Born in Philadelphia, Jones spent part of his upbringing in New Jersey and graduated from Palmyra High School.

Jones served as speechwriter and counsel to King, working with the activist from 1960 until King was assassinated in 1968. He assisted King in drafting the first portion of the 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech and advised King to write to President John F. Kennedy about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Jones, 92, also represented King and other leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in a libel case brought by the police commissioner and city officials of Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham officials also sued The New York Times. King's side was successful, and the U.S. Supreme Court's 1964 ruling in the defendants' favor helped define current libel law.

The attorney has written several books about King's legacy. In 2017, he founded the Clarence B. Jones Institute for Civil Advocacy, a nonprofit that promotes community through civic service, research and education. He is also an adjunct professor at the College of Arts and Science, University of San Francisco, and scholar in residence at The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University.

At Wednesday's event, Jones will discuss citizenship, the Constitution, and his new book, "Last of the Lions." A Q&A session and then a book signing will follow. The event is free, and books will be available for purchase.

Register for the event here.