Fifty years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I have a dream" speech, thousands are gathering in Washington, D.C. today to hear Barack Obama, America's first black president, pay tribute to the man who played a pivotal role in ending racial segregation in the United States.



Civil rights leader King gave his famous speech at an event that drew over 200,000 people in 1963 to Washington's Lincoln Memorial. He envisioned a nation transformed into an oasis of justice, free from racial inequality.


"Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice," said King — words that influenced the then Kennedy administration to accelerate racial equality legislation.


Watch the CBC News' live coverage of the event at the Lincoln Memorial, starting at 11 a.m. ET.


Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are expected to speak, while King's family members will ring a bell at the memorial steps to mark an unforgettable moment in his career.


A number of celebrities from the entertainment industry are also scheduled to speak — including Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.


Shortly before the speeches were scheduled to begin, organizers could be seen in the rain, huddling under unmbrellas.


Read tweets and messages in our CBC live blog below as people share memories and describe how the 1963 speech touched their lives.