Interpreting King

After one of Jim Lucas’ moving performances, former President Bill Clinton was inspired to call him “the most authentic and exhilarating King that I have ever seen,” according to the theatrical website pinpoints.org.

Lucas, who hails from Lake Providence, La., is a speaker and dramatist who has received national acclaim for his interpretive presentations of the life and times of the great civil rights activist. His words illuminated King’s plight during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Mary Washington last month.

An advocate of King’s practice of nonviolent civil action, Lucas took part in his own peaceful protests and demonstrations geared toward achieving school integration in his hometown. He became driven to learn and recite King’s speeches after attending the 20th anniversary of the March on Washington in 1983.

Included in Lucas’ repertoire of performances, which have been called “soulful” and “remarkable,” are King’s famous I Have a Dream and I’ve Been to the Mountaintop speeches, as well as excerpts from other inspirational pieces.

A film, television, and stage actor who has appeared in such shows as The West Wing and The District, Lucas has performed at various colleges and universities abroad. He also has been a guest speaker for a string of prominent groups and locales, including the NAACP and the Mormon Temple.