Clarence B. Jones, a lawyer and former speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is the subject of a new Netflix documentary directed for NBA star Stephen Curry, writes Elizabeth Wellington for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The short documentary, titled The Baddest Speechwriter of All, will mark Curry’s directorial debut, pairing him with Academy Award-winning director Ben Proudfoot.
A close friend of Dr. King, Jones was often in the background and in the ear of the late civil rights activist.
Jones famously wrote the first seven paragraphs of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which decades later still stands as one of the most important speeches in history.
“I didn’t know he was going to read my words word-for-word,” Jones, now 95, told The Inquirer.
Born in North Philadelphia, he moved to Burlington County after his parents found work as live-in help at the estate of Quaker family Edgar and Eleanora Lippincott.
Raised by Catholic nuns, he received the necessary positive reinforcement that turned him into the force he still is today.
The short documentary details his journey from law school to becoming MLK’s speechwriter and how he has kept his memory alive.
Read more about Clarence B. Jones and the new documentary about his life in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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