All of ONEOK Field will Recite the “I Have a Dream” Speech at Halftime
All of ONEOK Field will Recite the “I Have a Dream” Speech at Halftime
TULSA – FC Tulsa is hosting Greenwood Night on August 23 for the second consecutive year at ONEOK Field to highlight the history and celebrate the future of the Greenwood District. In addition, FC Tulsa is partnering with the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice to lead a stadium-wide recitation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech at halftime.
The large crowd in attendance will set the record for most people reciting the “I Have a Dream” speech in one place at one time.
All of Tulsa is encouraged to attend the match and take part in what will be a historic occasion that honors the 60th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech and reminds us that we are all still “Dreamers” longing for a shared sense of humanity, civility, and love.
“I am a Dreamer” t-shirts will be handed out to the first 3,500 fans in attendance to commemorate the momentous event.
“Since I was 12 years old, when my mother taught me to recite this speech from memory, these words have charted a course for my life – to always be willing to lay the groundwork for unity and reconciliation, even when it is very challenging to do so,” said Phil Armstrong, President and CEO of the OCCJ. “To collaborate with FC Tulsa to help keep the sentiment of this speech at the forefront of our community and nation, at such a pivotal time in our history, speaks to what we are still trying to achieve – a day when Dr. King’s Dream fully becomes reality.”
The halftime reading of Dr. King’s speech will be just one facet of Greenwood Night at ONEOK Field. Charlie Redd will perform a concert outside of the Greenwood Gate at ONEOK Field from 6-7 p.m. where fans are encouraged to enter the stadium that evening. In addition, small businesses and shop owners from the Greenwood District will be set up across the concourse where fans can shop.
Before the match, a panel of community leaders will host a discussion about race and other social issues in ONEOK Field’s Refinery Deck for select Club 918 Premium members.
Children from the Tulsa Dream Center will serve as walkout kids leading up to the match, exiting the locker rooms hand-in-hand with FC Tulsa and Birmingham Legion FC players while making their way onto the pitch for the National Anthem.
“FC Tulsa is a community club that uses soccer as a way to make Tulsa a better city to live, work, and play,” said Keith Richardson, Senior Director of Community Engagement for FC Tulsa. “Playing in the heart of Greenwood, it was a no-brainer to team up with Phil to add even more intentionality to Greenwood Night while recognizing that as a society, and specifically as Tulsans, we have lots more to do to make Dr. King’s dream a reality.”
FC Tulsa will host Birmingham Legion FC that evening, the city in which Dr. King was jailed on April 12, 1962 and where he penned his infamous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Tickets to the match are available here, and groups can be booked at a special rate by contacting krichardson@fctulsa.com.
