Two dead men were resurrected Tuesday night before a crowd of hundreds in the Memorial Center Mini-Dome. The ETSU Gospel Choir provided spirited foreshadowing prior to the performance as they sang about resurrection and perseverance.
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and poet Langston Hughes were brought to life through the performances of actors Felix Justice and Danny Glover.
“Our mission, I understand, as would-be educators is to somehow have young people feel what we felt when we experienced these men first hand,” Justice said in a press interview before the performance.
Acclaimed actor Glover professed to have performed “An Evening With Martin and Langston” 300 or 400 times at various venues across the country. Glover is famous for his roles in movies like the “Lethal Weapon” series, “Switchback,” “Angels in the Outfield,” “The Color Purple” and, more recently, “Dreamgirls.” He has also been consistently involved in social activism, including his position as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program since 1998. In 1991 he was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
Glover and Justice grew up reading the poetry of Langston Hughes, and both men heard King speak at various times before his assassination in 1968.
“We have both absorbed these two men from the time we were born,” Justice said.
Responding to press questions before the performance, the actors spoke with great reverence and respect of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“He was the real deal,” Glover said. “People don’t realize that.”
“We have him in words, and certainly my brother here does a beautiful presentation of reminding us what those words are,” Glover said, referring to Justice
Both men agreed, however, that America was unlikely to see again a civil rights leader anything like Martin Luther King. “They say in eschatology that there will be a second coming. Well, I don’t expect a second coming of Martin Luther King,” Justice said.
Justice began by explaining that the speech he was about to perform was originally delivered by King at midnight on April 3, 1968. In the speech King outlined his vehement opposition to violence and, specifically, the Vietnam War while simultaneously acknowledging his severe lack of popularity with patriotic, white America.
Spittle flew from his mouth as Justice embodied the power and commanding presence of the late Rev. King. Lasting nearly half an hour, Justice stayed deep in character for the duration of the speech and redelivered a large dose of truth from one of America’s most poignant and controversial leaders. Justice gripped the podium, looking like any of the famous monochrome pictures of Dr. King as the words of the late reverend filled the Mini-Dome.
When Glover took the stage his tall frame loomed over the podium, leaving the famous actor unnaturally bent over to reach the microphone. His performance was a theatrical interpretation of several of Langston Hughes’ most famous poems, including “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “The Weary Blues.” His deep voice slid easily from one refrain to another and even slipped again and again into a softly sung melody. “I got de weary blues,” Glover sang, “and I can’t be satisfied. Got de Weary Blues and can’t be satisfied. I ain’t happy no mo’, and I wish that I had died.” The deep silence and attention observed by the audience during King’s speech was again afforded Glover as Hughes’ words described the deep hope and pain of black America.
Glover’s performance was followed by a discussion of the significance of Hughes’ poetry in his own life and a question-and-answer session in which he and Justice addressed written questions submitted prior to the performance. Questions ranged from subjects such as Glover’s favorite moment on the set of “Dreamgirls” to an inquiry about his involvement with the film “Saw.”
“Wow! What else can you say but ‘Wow’?” said senior Shea Turner, commenting on the performance.
“When you think about Martin Luther King what do you think: ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, and they did not do that to us. They gave us how [King] felt about the war in Vietnam and a different side of things so that students can know something we’re not taught everyday.”
The performance received a gratuitous, heartfelt standing ovation during which Justice and Glover took a theatrical bow before exiting the stage to resume their resurrection of history from a time when truth was still painful but more prevalent, closer somehow to the surface of American consciousness and the American conscience.

Author