Remaining Awake Through a Revolution

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is most often remembered for his speech “I Have a Dream.” It is a speech rooted in hope and possibility, one that imagines a more just future. But less often remembered is another message Dr. King delivered during his lifetime,  a warning not about what could be, but about what was required.

In 1967, Dr. King delivered a speech titled “Remaining Awake Through a Revolution” at Grinnell College, during the event where he received an honorary doctorate. In that speech, he cautioned against complacency during periods of rapid change, reminding his audience that progress is not inevitable and that living through transformation does not guarantee justice. “All too many people end up sleeping through a revolution,” he warned.

That moment is physically connected to AREC today through a single graduation cap. The cap belonged to AREC Chair Ken Leonard’s grandfather, who wore it while awarding Dr. King his honorary degree at Grinnell College. Today, the same cap is worn at University of Maryland graduation ceremonies, serving as a tangible link between past and present and a reminder that the responsibility Dr. King spoke about did not end with his generation.

Archival recordings of the speech, available through Iowa Public Radio, provide a powerful window into the moment itself, capturing the urgency and context of Dr. King’s message as it was delivered.

It is important to remember that Dr. King did not deliver this message from a place of comfort or popularity. While he is widely celebrated today, he was not during his lifetime. In 1968, a national poll found that 75 percent of Americans disapproved of him. He was marginalized, jailed, and harshly criticized for challenging entrenched systems of power. At the Grinnell College event, Dr. King apologized to the audience that he would need to leave early to begin serving a prison sentence in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. King understood that meaningful change often comes at a cost. In “Remaining Awake Through a Revolution,” he acknowledged that working for peace, justice, and brotherhood would bring misunderstanding and adversity. He urged people to continue anyway, to hold fast to their moral commitments even when doing so was inconvenient or unpopular.

Today, we are living through rapid economic, environmental, technological, and social transformation, often marked by uncertainty, disparity, and unrest. Dr. King’s warning feels as relevant now as it did then. Change alone does not equal progress. Advancement without ethics, awareness, and responsibility can leave societies moving quickly, but in the wrong direction.

At AREC, our work sits at the intersection of economics, policy, resources, and people. Remaining awake means asking hard questions about how systems operate, who benefits, and who bears the costs. It means recognizing that our choices are interconnected and that progress requires more than momentum, but it requires intention. The graduation cap linked to Dr. King’s visit to Grinnell College serves as a powerful symbol of that history, but the legacy it represents is not carried forward by an object alone. The real legacy is carried forward through the work we do every day.

At AREC, we are proud to carry this responsibility by staying engaged with complex challenges, questioning systems, and contributing thoughtfully to a more just and sustainable world. As we reflect on Dr. King’s call to remain awake, we invite our community to share how you are staying engaged, asking hard questions, and contributing to the ongoing work of change — in your research, studies, classrooms, and everyday choices.