“Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right,” said Dr. King in his final speech, delivered on April 3 to striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.
The following day, April 4, the civil rights leader, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and beloved hero to millions around the world, was shot to death on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.
Fifty years later, the work of non-violent protest in the name of desegregation, voting rights, racial harmony, jobs, freedom, opportunity, and an end to wars, is carried on by an international community of civil rights advocates and human rights and anti-war activists. Here in the US, in this fiftieth year since the assassination, we have perhaps more than ever felt the effects of the long term absence of a movement leader the likes of Dr. King. The world remembered him today. But what of the other 364 days of the year? If only we heard the kind of programming we heard all day today during the rest of the year…
Among the musical tributes in response to the tragedy were Dion’s popular “Abraham, Martin and John,” Otis Spann’s less-known “Blues for Martin Luther King,” and Nina Simone’s version of the enduring and emotional “Why (The King of Love is Dead),” first performed in his memory on April 7, 1968, the national day of mourning following the assassination.
For further reflection on Dr. King’s message of love, please start with the The King Center archives, dedicated to the non-violent eradication of poverty, racism and violence.
Filed under: anti-war, Arts and Culture, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Abraham Martin and John, "I've Been to the Mountaintop", "The King of Love, April 4 1968, Bob Dylan and Clydie King, Lorraine Motel, Memphis, Nina Simone, Poor People's Campaign, Striking Sanitation Workers
Denise Sullivan 