Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Barratt Junior High School (now G.W. Childs Elementary) in South Philadelphia on October 26, 1967, just months before his assassination on April 4, 1968. He was in town for a series of speaking engagements, including one at Barratt, another at St. Joseph’s University (then a college), and a larger event at the Spectrum featuring Black American A-listers, including Sidney Poitier, Aretha Franklin and Harry Belafonte.
But it was his words to the young students at Barratt Junior High School that continue to reverberate with empowerment today, interlocking themes, analogies and Black familial ideas that remain strikingly significant in this moment.
The title of King’s speech, What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?, laid out five guiding principles for those young Philadelphians coming of age during the height of the Civil Rights Movement — a time marked by violence, upheaval, and profound societal change:
- His first point was foundational: a deep belief in your own dignity and your “somebodiness.” He urged the students to recognize their intrinsic worth and value, emphasizing an important refrain for Black people in America. “You are somebody.” “Always feel that you have worth,” he said. “And always feel that your life has ultimate significance.” This simple yet profound declaration challenged the systemic degradation and dehumanization Black youth face daily (then and now), reminding them to stand steadfast in their humanity.
- Second, strive for excellence. King implored students to aim high in all their endeavors, whatever they might be. This is where the street sweeper and the aspirations for excellence intersect.
- In his third point, Dr. King was forward-looking: be prepared for opportunities. He acknowledged the painful truth that doors had historically been closed to their parents and grandparents but insisted that new opportunities, however incremental, would open to them — and they must be ready to step up and into those open doors.
- The fourth point underscored the necessity of education. King urged the students to stay in school despite the obstacles of poverty, systemic racism, and a culturally-incompetent curriculum. He framed education as essential not only to their individual success but to the collective advancement of Black people.
- The fifth point — and perhaps the most memorable — was a call to be the best at whatever you choose to do. King situated this idea in his famous street sweeper analogy:
If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can’t be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be the best little shrub on the side of the hill.
This analogy wasn’t about accepting one’s lot but about infusing every act of labor, no matter how seemingly humble, with dignity, excellence, and purpose.
Living the life King called for
I say this often, and I’m always proud to say it: My grandfather was a garbage man. He kept an immaculate home and an even more immaculate car. For a sanitation worker, he was one of the cleanest dressers I’ve ever seen — this isn’t just my memory speaking, but something confirmed by the archival photos I’ve studied. His pride in himself and his work was evident in everything he did, from the way he carried himself to the way he maintained his surroundings.
One of the reasons I take such pride in my grandfather being a garbage man is that his life represents the trajectory Dr. King speaks of in What Is Your Life’s Blueprint? King’s speech reminds us that each generation builds on the sacrifices and labors of the one before it. The doors of opportunity open to me today were firmly closed to my grandfather, and in that sense, I owe him my dedication to my craft and my commitment to excel. I am his namesake, after all. Honoring his legacy means using the talents God has given me to the fullest, not just for my sake but as a testament to the foundation he laid.
But my grandfather’s work as a sanitation worker resonates on an even deeper frequency of King’s words. It directly connects to one of the central themes in Dr. King’s Street Sweeper speech, where King invokes the parable of being the best street sweeper you can be. This idea wasn’t unique to King; it was already a pervasive message among Black families, passed down from parents to children and from grandparents to grandchildren: the necessity of striving for excellence in all things, not for the approval of others, but for the affirmation of our own dignity and our refusal to bow to oppression.
We must commit to crafting an American democracy that reflects the best of us — a government that embodies the dignity, integrity, and excellence King spoke of.
The speech works because it touches a universal chord in the Black experience: the unyielding determination to excel despite systemic barriers. It tells us that even in the face of ceilings meant to contain us, we have the power — and the duty — to be ascendant. It insists that dignity and self-worth are non-negotiable, no matter what the world tells us.
For my grandfather, that meant taking immense pride in his work, his home, his car, and his life. He refused to let society’s undervaluation of his profession define his value. For me, my grandfather’s story is a guidepost. His is an example of the trajectory King spoke of — the opening of doors of opportunity — was made possible by the grit, resilience, and determination of people like my grandfather. His life is a reminder to reject the narratives that try to diminish our humanity. It means showing up every day with the intention to be the best version of ourselves.
Dr. King’s invocation of the street sweeper wasn’t about the logistics or mechanics of the job. It was about the deeper symbolism embedded in professional work and craft: the dignity, pride, and commitment to excellence that define what he called somebodiness.
The core of this message wasn’t tied to any specific occupation; it transcended work itself. For King, the act of striving to be the best at whatever you do — regardless of your position in the hierarchy of labor — was inherently valuable. This logic still holds today. Whether we are Black, White, or otherwise, no matter where we stand in the economic or social ladder, a commitment to craft and excellence gives our work meaning and affirms our humanity.
For Dr. King, this was one of the pillars of somebodiness: the belief that your worth, value, and dignity are innate attributes of your humanity. This isn’t something granted by society or subject to external validation. It is a given — a truth you accept, wrestle with if needed, and fortify against the forces of racism, classism, and systemic oppression that persist to this day.
A clarion call to civic responsibility today
King’s speech at Barratt Junior High also taps into today’s fractured political world. His exhortation to pursue excellence and maintain dignity feels like a clarion call amidst the erosion of civic responsibility and the crumbling infrastructure of American democracy.
We stand at a precarious moment, bearing witness to the glaring failures of our political institutions. The Electoral College, a vestige of an era long past, undermines the principles of direct democracy. The current Congressional committee hearings on President Trump’s cabinet picks expose a failure to hold nominees accountable or illuminate the qualifications — or lack thereof — of those selected to lead. The nominees themselves, in many cases, are woefully unprepared or actively hostile to the very missions of the departments they’ve been chosen to oversee.
Where King urged young people to be the Michelangelos and Beethovens of their work, today we see leaders and nominees whose mediocrity — or worse — betrays that ethos.
In this context, the irony of King’s blueprint is unavoidable. Where King urged young people to be the Michelangelos and Beethovens of their work, today we see leaders and nominees whose mediocrity — or worse — betrays that ethos. The government’s ability to represent its people and serve as a beacon of competence has been undermined by partisanship, greed, and incompetence.
This isn’t merely about one administration or one election. It’s about systemic decay — a government no longer capable of being the best it can be, no longer striving to be the Michelangelo of governance.
King’s words remain urgent and prophetic. Just as he exhorted the students of Barratt Junior High to infuse their lives with purpose and excellence, we too must rise to the challenge of our times. We must commit to crafting an American democracy that reflects the best of us — a government that embodies the dignity, integrity, and excellence King spoke of.
In doing so, we honor his legacy and reaffirm the principles of the Beloved Community: a society grounded in justice, equity, and mutual care. It is not enough to demand these values from our leaders; we must embody them ourselves. As King said, “In the final analysis, it will not be about the money you earned or the material things you accumulated. It will be about the lives you touched and the love you shared.”
To be the Michelangelo of street sweepers — or the MLK of American democracy — requires belief in our collective “somebodiness.” It demands that we approach our civic responsibilities with the same care and craft King envisioned for every aspect of our lives. The stakes are high, but the path forward is clear: achieve excellence, embrace human dignity, and maintain an unwavering pursuit of justice.
