One Day: Dublin’s Civil Rights Experience

Step back in time to 1944 in Georgia.

Jim Crow laws had a stronghold. The South stood divided, not by borders, but rather by color. Where you shopped, how you traveled, when you could speak, what you ate, and how you lived was determined by the color of your skin.

One fateful day in 1944, a young man on edge came to Dublin, Georgia where he gave a speech during a contest. His words stirred souls and he won the contest. From that high, he loaded a bus, proud and confident. Then came a moment that solidified his future: he was commanded to sit in the back of the bus. An ordinary moment. An ordinary bus. An ordinary command for its time.

An extraordinary boy.

One Day

Step into the world of a young Martin Luther King, Jr. Journey into the South in 1944 during One Day: Dublin’s Civil Rights Experience, reader’s theatre where you are the actor. This living play chronicles the Civil Rights Movement, capturing it through the lives and legacies of those who lived it. Dublin’s rich Civil Rights history is detailed, including highlights of the speech King gave on that fateful day, April 17, 1944 when he was first asked to step to the back of the bus. Other highlights include a focus on Herbert “Hub” Dudley, African American entrepreneur who built a business empire in Dublin. One of his many notable contributions: owning and operating the Dudley Motel, Retreat, and Amoco Service Station where Dr. King, Andrew Young, Maynard Jackson, and other notable Civil Rights leaders met, strategized, and stayed as they travelled across the Southeast.

Your Role

Groups of all sizes are welcome. This experience is intended for all ages. There are reading role and nonspeaking roles. Everyone plays a part, even if as a witness to the history as it unfolds.

Each person will be given a role card, detailing their part.

The reverse of the card gives a deeper history on a person, place, or event during the Civil Rights Movement.

A leader will guide groups through the experience.

The experience is held inside Dublin, Georgia’s historic First African Baptist Church where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his first public speech at the age of 15 on April 17, 1944. A guided tour of the church is included, and guided tour of MLK Monument Park can be requested.

Cost

$8 per person advance tickets only.

Purchase advance tickets HERE!

(Additional dates for groups can be arranged upon request. Special group rate $5 per person for groups 10 and more. For group reservations of 10 and more, email info@visitdublinga.org)

The Story Grows

Continue celebrating Dublin’s Civil Rights history by attending the MLK Jr. Oratorical Speech Contest each April, where students honor Dr. King’s legacy through inspiring speeches. Learn more here.