TldE ClACkAMAS P r ÍNT
Martin Luther King Jr. __
MLK-. Holiday honors legacy
Continued from page 1
Violenceerupts: Bloody Sunday
In 1965 SCLC joined a voting
rights protest march planned from
Selma, Alabama, to the state capital
of Montgomery, over 50 miles away.
The goal of the march was to draw
national attention to the struggle
for black voting rights in the state.
The March was stopped outside of
Selma where protestors were beaten
and tear-gassed by police. The vio
lence was televised and came to be
known as Bloody Sunday.
SCLC petitioned for and received
a federal court order barring police
from interfering with a new march.
Two weeks after Bloody Sunday,
more than 3000 people, including a
core of 300 who would make the
entire trip, set out towards Mont
gomery. They
arrived five
days
later,
when King ad
dressed over
200,000 people
in front of the
capitol build
ing.
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WedNEsdAy, J anuary 12, 2000
Excerpts from Nobel Prize
Acceptance Speech
on March 28 in support of striking Reno reopened a limited investiga-
sanitation workers. When the march tion into the assassination. In Dec.
became violent, one black
was killed and more than fifty
people were injured. King left
Memphis distressed over the
violence. He returned April 3
in the hopes of leading a
peaceful march. King told a
crowd at the Memphis Ma
sonic Temple, "1 may not get
there with you, but I want you
to know tonight that we as a
people will get to the prom
ised land."
Ebenezer Baptist Church
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Assassination: A Conspiracy?
1999, a Memphis jury awarded the
King was assassinated the follow King family $ 100 in a wrongfill death
ing day, April 4, on the balcony of suit. The jury decided that the mur
the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. He der was indeed a conspiracy.
died at St. Joseph's Hospital of a
gunshot wound in the neck. James The memory lives on
Earl Ray, an es
King’s historical importance was
caped white con memorialized at the Martin Luther
vict, was con King Jr. Center for Social Justice, a
victed of the mur research institute in Atlanta. Also
der and sentenced in Atlanta is the Martin Luther King
to 99 years in Jr. National Historic Site, which in
prison. News of cludes his birthplace, the Ebenezer
the assassination Church, and the King Center, where
resulted in shock his tomb is located. But perhaps the
and
anger most important memorial is the na
Focus Shifted
throughout the tional holiday in his honor which
After the
nation and the took over two decades to make a le
Selma protests,
world, prompting gal holiday.
King had less
riots in over a hun
The first legislation to commemo
dramatic suc Signing of the Civil Rights act
dred U.S. cities.
rate King’s birthday was submitted
cesses in his July 1964.
Although over four days after his assassination in
struggle for
the years many 1968. After 15 years of lobbying
black ci,vil rights. Many white
investigators have suspected that throughout the nation, President
American’s who had supported his
Ray did riot act alone, no accom Reagan signed the legislation in
work believed that the job was done.
plices have ever been identified. 1983. The holiday, which is the third
He also lost support when he joined
After King’s death, historians dis Monday of January, was first ob-
the antiwar activists in 1965 and
covered that the FBI often
publicly criticized American foreign tapped King’s phone line and
policy in Vietnam.
reported on his private life to
the president and other govern
By the mid-1960’s, King’s role as
the unchallenged leader of civil
ment officials. The FBI’s rea
rights was questioned. Many
son for the invasion of privacy
younger blacks were looking to
was that King associated with
wards the beliefs of the recently
Communists and other “radi
assassinated black Muslim leader,
cals.”
Malcolm X, whose insistence on
Since his assassination over
black self-
three decades ago,
reliance
many conspiracy
and the
theories
have
emerged. These
rights of
theories gained re
blacks to
defend
newed momentum
King is shot on his hotel balcony;
when King’s son
them
his entourage point to the source
selves
Dexter met with of the shot. April 4,1968.
against
James Earl Ray in
violent at
prison in 1997. Dexter served in 1986. It is the first new
tacks cap
shook his father’s alleged holiday since 1948, when Memorial
tured the King and his wife Coretta.
assassin's hand and said Day was created as a “prayer for
youths' attention.
the words “I believe you” after Ray peace” day. And it’s only the third
King shifted his focus to the
repeatedly denied any involvement of the 20th century (the other being
North. He realized that the economic
in King’s assassination. The King Veterans Day, started in 1926 to
difficulties of blacks in northern cit
family has supported Ray who sup honor those who gave their lives in
ies had been ignored. Throughout
posedly pled guilty to King’s mur World War I).
the late 60’s, King turned his focus
der in 1968 under “hostile circum
On a day when you don't have to
of civil rights activism to economic
stances involving his legal counsel.” come to classes, maybe you will
issues. His new emphasis on eco
A second boost to one of the con have time to reflect and appreciate
nomic rights took King to Memphis,
spiracy theories came in August the impact that one single man has
Tennessee to lead a demonstration
1998 when Attorney General Janet made on society and the world.
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• "I accept the Nobel Prize
for Peace at a moment
when twenty-two million Ne
groes of the United States
of America are engaged in
a creative battle to end the
long night of racial injus
tice."
• "I have the audacity to
believe that peoples every
where can have three
meals a.day for their bod
ies, education and culture
fortheir minds, and dignity,
equality and freedom for
their spirits."
• "Therefore, I must ask ' • "I accept this prize on be
why this prize is awarded to half of all men who love
a movement which is belea peace and brotherhood... I
guered and committed to un am aware that this prize is
relenting struggle; to a
much more than an honor
movement which has not to me personally."
won the very peace and
brotherhood which is the es • "Yet when years have
sence of the Nobel Prize."
rolled past and when the
blazing light of truth is fo
• "Sooner or later all the cused on this marvelous
people of the world will have age in which we live -- men
to discover a way to live to and women will know and
gether in peace."
children will be taught that
we have a finer land, a bet
• "I believe that unarmed ter people, a more noble
truth and unconditional love civilization - because these
will have the final word in humble children of God
reality. This is Why right tem were willing to suffer for
porarily defeated is stronger righteousness' sake."
than evil triumphant."
• "I believe that even amid
today's motor bursts and
whining bullets, there is still
hope for a brighter tomor
row."
King, below left, waves
to a crowd with Coretta
by his side. His grave,
center, is located at the
Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Historic site.
King, right, in his
office, a picture of
Gandhi in the
background. King
followed Gandhi's non
violence ideals.
REV MARTIN LUTHER KING. JB
1929 — 1968
'FREE at last , free at last .
Dec. 10, 1964
'
THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I'M FREE AT LAST.
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To find out more about
MLK goto:
www.mlk-online.net
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