Me, MLK, and the Quietness of Death

On Easter vacation in April 1968, I stood with my mother at Martin Luther King’s graveside, in quiet peace, recalling the anger, horror, and dark teary shine of a people bereaved. No longer did the most horrid things exist only in fairytales; it was the land of the living that now frightened me.

1. Rev. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4th 1968. According to witnesses, while standing on the balcony near his room at the Lorraine Motel Rev. Dr. King was shot in the face and rendered unconscious. Within the hour, he was transported St. Josephine Hospital where he remained unconscious and died, April 4, 1968 | The Assassination of Martin Luther King.

2. “Free at last…” A climatic excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech I Have a Dream speech presented on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963. King, Jr, M. L. (1963, August).I Have A Dream.March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

3. Spelman College and Sisters’ Chapel. A private historically Black women’s liberal arts college located in Atlanta, GA. Spelman College.(2017). Considered sister school to Morehouse, King’s alma mater.

4. Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round. A civil rights movement freedom song. See Freedom Singer’s Performance,1. White House Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement, 2014.

5. Martin Luther King speech, Youth March for Integrated Schools, April 18, 1959. “become a dedicated fighter for civil rights. Make it a central part of your life.”