With some of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial observations still scheduled to happen in Washington this weekend, Dr. James F. Klumpp at the University of Maryland is putting the historic event into perspective.

An expert in King’s speeches, Klumpp teaches a course on the civil rights leader’s rhetoric.

The famous line “I have a Dream” that King spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 48 years ago has transcended time.

But it almost didn’t, according to one story.

Klumpp said that King used that line on previous speaking occasions; one story alleges that when the beginning of the speech was not going well, a lady yelled up to him, “Martin do that dream thing.”

Klumpp said that we’re still doing that “dream thing,” almost a half century after the iconic “I have a Dream Speech,” because King’s vision of racial harmony and equality hasn’t been achieved yet, he said.

According to Klumpp, King and President Barack Obama face similar criticisms of losing their roots or not being “black enough.”

But some of his students believe that election of Obama as the first African-American president is one sign that the dream has been achieved.

“My students today perceive its completion more than four or five years ago,” Klumpp said.

Whether or not the dream has been achieved, Klumpp said the speech is still powerful in the classroom.

“I’m amazed at how [the speech] still resonates with students … it brings tears to their eyes,” Klumpp said.

Although portions of the planned observation for the memorial will take place on Friday and Saturday in Washington, the actual dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial will be rescheduled for a later date, due to the expected arrival of Hurricane Irene. The memorial will be open to the public noon to 10 p.m. Friday and, weather permitting, 7 a.m. to noon Saturday.

The memorial is located on the northeast side of the Tidal Basin.