IT’S BEEN 50 years since civil rights activist Martin Luther King delivered his iconic “I have a dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC.

But the memory of the speech and its maker lives on, and was celebrated in Blackbird Leys on Tuesday.

The Leys Community Development Initiative took part in a nationwide youth project called the “dream series”, aimed at empowering young people to express their hopes and dreams for the future.

The projects up and down the country have been taking place with the help of celebrities such as renowned hip hop artist Rodney P and rapper Akala, who were both at Blackbird Leys Library on Tuesday.

Rodney P, pictured with the book King’s Dream, who is also a CDI youth worker, said: “It is great to be involved in the project and to help celebrate the anniversary of this iconic speech. It’s important that we hand down those powerful words of wisdom to young people of every background.

“We were very lucky to have a profound talent like Akala come in and talk.”