Beyond Brotherhood: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Gendered Language in Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream and Its Implications for SDG 5

Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech is widely regarded as one of the most influential rhetorical works in the history of social justice movements. While it serves as a powerful call for racial equality, its linguistic framework predominantly reflects an androcentric discourse, relying on gendered terminology such as “brotherhood” and “sons of former slaves.” This study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the speech’s lexical choices, pronoun usage, and metaphors, revealing its limitations in explicitly addressing gender struggles. The findings suggest that King’s vision of justice, while inclusive in its broader themes, largely excludes women’s experiences within the Civil Rights Movement, reinforcing historical patterns of male-centered advocacy rhetoric. This research further explores the implications of King’s speech for Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) by situating its discourse within contemporary discussions on inclusive language in social justice movements. The study argues for the necessity of intersectionality in advocacy rhetoric, highlighting how modern initiatives such as UN Women’s campaigns and #HeForShe have evolved to embrace more gender-inclusive frameworks. Future research directions include comparative analyses between civil rights-era and feminist discourses, as well as broader linguistic studies on the gendered rhetoric of historical justice movements. By critically assessing the gendered dimensions of King’s speech, this study contributes to ongoing discussions on how language shapes perceptions of equality and justice in both historical and contemporary contexts.