Q: On almost every video of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” there are men lined up in rows to the left of center, behind him. They have on what appear to be white robes and some sort of white hat. Who were these men? And what were their ties to MLK?
—Donald Varn, Conyers
A: The men in the white hats were policemen and firefighters working security for the 1963 speech in Washington. They can be seen in photos standing behind Martin Luther King Jr. as he delivered his speech.
Robert Boyd, who was a New York City fireman at the time, told the New York Times in 2013: “They gave us a badge, an armband and a white hat. Who the men were in the white hats is a little-known fact, even today. They were policemen and firefighters working as security people.”
Charlie Jackson, a detective in Jersey City, N.J., in 1963, can be seen wearing a white hat just behind King’s right shoulder. USA Today wrote in 2013: “He wore a folded white hat, like one you might see on a cook in a diner. In reality the hat, like the one worn by non-violent freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi in India, symbolized peace.”
Q: Where has local NPR host John Lemley ended up in the current format change at WABE in Atlanta? I really miss him.
—Suzanne Sports, Peachtree City
A: Lemley, who hosted a noon classical music show called "City Cafe" the past six years, is leaving WABE, but didn't go into details about his future, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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