Clarence B. Jones, civil rights activist who helped write MLK’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, dies at 95
Clarence B. Jones, a prominent civil rights activist and lawyer, has passed away at the age of 95. He was instrumental in writing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech and played a key role in the 1963 March on Washington. Jones remained a vocal advocate for civil rights until his death, criticizing efforts to undermine the progress made since the 1960s.
- ▪Jones helped write part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech.
- ▪He was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington.
- ▪Jones was a vocal critic of attempts to weaken Black voting power.
- ▪He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden in 2024.
- ▪Jones had a successful legal career and was a co-founder of the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice.
6 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 37 hours. Coverage spans 2 points on the political spectrum — 4 lean left, 1 right.
- ▪ Clarence B. Jones, who helped MLK write 'I Have A Dream' speech, dies at 95 — ABC News — US
- ▪ Clarence B Jones, who helped MLK write ‘I have a dream’ speech, dies at 95 — The Guardian — US
- ▪ Clarence B. Jones, who helped MLK write 'I Have A Dream' speech, dies at 95 — The Washington Times
- ▪ Clarence B. Jones Dies: Attorney Who Helped MLK Draft “I Have A Dream” Speech & Focus Of Sundance-Winning Short Film Was 95 — Deadline
- ▪ Clarence B. Jones, Who Helped Shape ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech, Dies at 95 — NYT — US
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| Original publisher | NBC News — Top |
| Canonical URL | https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/clarence-b-jones-civil-rights-activist-helped-write-mlks-dream-speech-rcna346872 |
| Publication time | Tue, 26 May 2026 19:06:52 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-26T19:12:54.451Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-26T19:12:54.451Z |
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| Cluster | lEjntlyfS0M4 · 6 stories |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
U.S. newsClarence B. Jones, civil rights activist who helped write MLK’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, dies at 95Jones was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the epic speech and helped push for the passage of the Voting Rights Act.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Clarence B. Jones testifies in Washington in 1971.Bettmann ArchiveShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 26, 2026, 3:06 PM EDTBy Corky SiemaszkoClarence B. Jones, a top civil rights activist and lawyer who helped write part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s celebrated “I Have a Dream” speech, has died.
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