JFK and MLK for Germans

50 years, ago, during the summer of 1963, two Americans spoke sentences that would go down in history. President John F. Kennedy flattered his German audience during a visit to West Berlin when he said: "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a guy from Berlin/I am a jelly donut). Dr. Martin Luther King, the black civil rights leader, made his famous "I have a dream" speech during the "March on Washington" on August 28, 1963, in which he described his vision of an America without racial discrimination. Kennedy was assassinated the same year, and Martin Luther King suffered the same fate five years later. Back then, East and West Germans followed the story of both men with great interest. This month, the Goethe Institute in Washington, D.C. showcases the influence of the United States on the German culture at the time by showing a several films and movies. A total of five films from East and West Germany is on display. They were made durign the 1960s and 1970s. Georg Hirsch watched the films and the responses of the audience.

Listen (in German)

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