(light stately music)
- [Martin Luther King Jr.] I have a dream.
- I'm gonna be very honest with you,
when I do Dr. King and I'm performing,
it's as if Dr. King takes over.
- Mine eyes have seen the glory
of the coming of the Lord.
- It's like the spirit of
Dr. King comes into the room.
- We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men
- that all men
are created equal.
- are created equal.
- If you listen to the majority
of his speeches right now,
it's right in line with what
we're dealing with today.
Free at last, free at
last, thank God almighty
we are free at last.
(applause)
(reflective piano music)
My name is Stephon Ferguson.
I travel across the world performing
as the Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I am the only person who is licensed
by the King Estate to perform the works
of Dr. King.
I used to be a deejay.
We took some of Dr. King's old records
and as we were mixing them in,
I began to emulate some of Dr. King's
old records, particularly I Have a Dream.
A good friend of mine said,
"Man, you sound just like Dr. King.
"You should really consider taking your
"work to another level."
I realized that it was a gift
that God had given me to continue
the work and the legacy of Dr. King.
Let freedom ring from
the prodigious hilltops
of New Hampshire, let freedom ring.
I've been performing as Dr.
King for about 15 years.
I get a lot of requests to perform
in different areas from Madrid, Spain;
London, England.
I've been honored to get recognition
from a lot of great people.
President Barack Obama reached out to me.
I have a letter thanking me for my work,
so that was a very powerful recognition.
I've even got that from
King family members.
(fast-paced piano music)
- I speak for the entire family
that we know of no one who can actually
sound like my uncle.
- God loves all of his children.
- His cadence is unique.
It has a slow, southern drawl to it,
but a sophistication at the same time.
And Stephon just really flatters us all
with the way that he's able to bring
my uncle's voice back to life.
- I believe it resonates with people
because we're living in
a time that we need it.
With all the hatred, the divisiveness,
the things that we see in the world,
I think it really inspires people
to stand up, to speak out.
I may get to the age where
it's gonna be difficult,
but I'll still be trying to do it.
