by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, fifty years ago today. I was in college at the time and remember well the anger and turmoil that swept across the American landscape in the days following Dr. King's assassination. The rage was especially pervasive on college campuses - even at Midwestern cow colleges like the one I attended.
At the time of Dr. King's death America was still reeling from the assassination of a president less than five years before - and the civil rights movement had seen several of its leaders martyred through violent deaths including the shooting of Medgar Evers in 1963 and the killing of three civil rights workers (Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney) in Mississippi by members of the Ku Klux Klan in 1964. Then, in 1965, human rights activist and Muslim minister Malcom X was gunned down by an assassin.
The times were turbulent and troubled, and the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. seemed to be the straw that brought down the camel. After the shooting in Memphis, riots broke out in places like Washington, DC, Chicago, Hartford, and Detroit.
One day before his murder, Dr. King gave his final public sermon, and in it he spoke about having been to the mountaintop and seeing the promised land. His words were prophetic:
Rest in peace, Dr. King. You served us well.
Citizen Journalist
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, fifty years ago today. I was in college at the time and remember well the anger and turmoil that swept across the American landscape in the days following Dr. King's assassination. The rage was especially pervasive on college campuses - even at Midwestern cow colleges like the one I attended.
At the time of Dr. King's death America was still reeling from the assassination of a president less than five years before - and the civil rights movement had seen several of its leaders martyred through violent deaths including the shooting of Medgar Evers in 1963 and the killing of three civil rights workers (Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney) in Mississippi by members of the Ku Klux Klan in 1964. Then, in 1965, human rights activist and Muslim minister Malcom X was gunned down by an assassin.
The times were turbulent and troubled, and the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. seemed to be the straw that brought down the camel. After the shooting in Memphis, riots broke out in places like Washington, DC, Chicago, Hartford, and Detroit.
One day before his murder, Dr. King gave his final public sermon, and in it he spoke about having been to the mountaintop and seeing the promised land. His words were prophetic:
"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live - a long life; longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
Rest in peace, Dr. King. You served us well.
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