1 00:00:00,090 --> 00:00:03,480 In Black America is a listener supported production of KUT 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,550 and KUTX in Austin, Texas. 3 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:10,140 You can support our work by donating@supportthispodcast.org. 4 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:33,110 From the University of Texas at Austin, KUT radio, this is in black America. 5 00:00:33,470 --> 00:00:39,769 Then I got into Memphis and some began to say the threats or talk 6 00:00:39,769 --> 00:00:45,565 about the threats that were out or what would happen to me from some of. 7 00:00:46,785 --> 00:00:48,885 Our sick white brother. 8 00:00:50,055 --> 00:00:52,005 Well, I don't know what will happen now. 9 00:00:52,485 --> 00:00:56,775 We've got some difficult days ahead, but it really doesn't matter with me now 10 00:00:57,885 --> 00:00:59,655 because I've been to the mountain top. 11 00:01:00,915 --> 00:01:02,595 I don't mind 12 00:01:07,260 --> 00:01:09,465 like anybody, I would like to live. 13 00:01:10,290 --> 00:01:11,370 A long life. 14 00:01:11,370 --> 00:01:17,100 Longevity has its place, but I'm not concerned about that now. 15 00:01:19,020 --> 00:01:20,910 I just wanna do God's will 16 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,090 and he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. 17 00:01:26,970 --> 00:01:33,360 And I've looked over and I've seen the Promised Land. 18 00:01:34,950 --> 00:01:41,640 I may not get there with you, but I want you to know the night that we as 19 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,610 a people will get to the Promised Land. 20 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:52,170 So I'm happy tonight. 21 00:01:52,170 --> 00:01:54,509 I'm not wary about anything. 22 00:01:54,945 --> 00:01:55,604 Fearing any man, 23 00:01:57,794 --> 00:02:00,830 my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. 24 00:02:03,609 --> 00:02:07,725 The late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Would've been 97 this 25 00:02:07,725 --> 00:02:11,115 year had he lived out a dream for raceway equality in this country. 26 00:02:11,865 --> 00:02:15,375 He was a man who walked among the oppressed and poor, a man who 27 00:02:15,375 --> 00:02:18,734 questioned unfair laws and went to jail rather than submit to them. 28 00:02:19,590 --> 00:02:23,429 King was a passionate fighter for civil rights, and although he died 29 00:02:23,429 --> 00:02:27,269 by violence, his life and teachings were dedicated to a deep disrespectful 30 00:02:27,269 --> 00:02:28,980 violence and his consequences. 31 00:02:29,609 --> 00:02:31,620 He won a Nobel Prize for peace. 32 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,010 His lectures and dialogue stirred the conscience of a nation. 33 00:02:35,609 --> 00:02:40,500 In November, 1983, legislation was signed, created Martin Luther King, Jr. 34 00:02:40,500 --> 00:02:43,109 Day, making it only the third national holiday. 35 00:02:43,109 --> 00:02:44,334 Born in the 20th century. 36 00:02:45,359 --> 00:02:49,049 In fall, 1991, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, 37 00:02:49,260 --> 00:02:52,380 where he was assassinated, was dedicated to his remembrance. 38 00:02:53,220 --> 00:02:59,010 On October 16th, 2011, the MLK Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall. 39 00:02:59,940 --> 00:03:04,079 I'm Johnny O. Hanson Jr. And welcome to another edition of In Black 40 00:03:04,109 --> 00:03:08,475 America on this week's program, A tribute to the late Reverend Dr. 41 00:03:08,475 --> 00:03:11,910 Martin Luther King, Jr. In black America. 42 00:03:51,935 --> 00:03:55,865 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Is considered by many as the father 43 00:03:55,865 --> 00:03:57,395 of the Civil Rights movement. 44 00:03:58,025 --> 00:04:03,905 Born on Tuesday, January 15th, 1929 at the family home in Atlanta, Georgia. 45 00:04:04,445 --> 00:04:08,825 He was Chris at Michael Luther King, but in 1934, daddy King 46 00:04:08,825 --> 00:04:14,975 changed his name after Young Martin experienced racial prejudice in 1944. 47 00:04:14,975 --> 00:04:18,275 At the age of 15, he graduated high school and entered Morehouse 48 00:04:18,280 --> 00:04:22,745 College in Atlanta with intention on becoming a medical doctor, but 49 00:04:22,745 --> 00:04:24,845 changed his mind in his junior year. 50 00:04:25,650 --> 00:04:30,450 In April, 1948, king received his Bachelor's degree in Sociology in 51 00:04:30,450 --> 00:04:34,049 Inter Crot Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. 52 00:04:34,859 --> 00:04:38,789 In May, 1951, he graduated with a Bachelor's of Divinity degree, 53 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:44,669 and as Valedictorian and Student Body President in 1955, he earned 54 00:04:44,669 --> 00:04:48,150 his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University. 55 00:04:49,109 --> 00:04:54,179 In spring 1963, king nonviolent taxes were put to their most severe test 56 00:04:54,179 --> 00:04:59,400 in Birmingham, Alabama during a mass protest for fair hiring practices and the 57 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:04,409 desegregation of department stores police brutal retired to use against the marches 58 00:05:04,409 --> 00:05:09,210 dramatized supply of African Americans to the nation at large with enormous impact. 59 00:05:09,599 --> 00:05:12,810 King and others were arrested, but his voice was not silent. 60 00:05:13,215 --> 00:05:17,415 While in his cell, he read a published statement by eight Alabama clergymen that 61 00:05:17,415 --> 00:05:22,875 criticizes activities as untimely and unwise on the margins of the newspaper. 62 00:05:22,965 --> 00:05:26,265 He composed his classic replied letter from a Birmingham 63 00:05:26,265 --> 00:05:28,575 jail to refute his critics. 64 00:05:28,635 --> 00:05:33,315 In your statement, you assert that our actions, even though peaceful must 65 00:05:33,315 --> 00:05:39,135 be condemned because they precipitate violence, but is this a logical assertion? 66 00:05:39,435 --> 00:05:41,805 Isn't this like condemning a robbed man? 67 00:05:42,210 --> 00:05:46,020 Because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery. 68 00:05:46,260 --> 00:05:50,670 Isn't this like condemning Socrates Because his unswerving commitment 69 00:05:50,670 --> 00:05:56,159 to truth and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by 70 00:05:56,159 --> 00:06:00,540 the misguided populous in which they made him drink hemlock. 71 00:06:00,870 --> 00:06:05,100 Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness 72 00:06:05,550 --> 00:06:11,760 and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion. 73 00:06:12,135 --> 00:06:17,145 More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used 74 00:06:17,145 --> 00:06:21,705 time much more effectively than have the people of goodwill. 75 00:06:22,545 --> 00:06:28,185 We will have to repent in this generation, not merely for the hateful words and 76 00:06:28,185 --> 00:06:33,945 actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people. 77 00:06:34,695 --> 00:06:39,405 Now is the time to make real, the promise of democracy. 78 00:06:40,140 --> 00:06:46,170 And transform our pending national GY into a creative Psalm of brotherhood. 79 00:06:46,830 --> 00:06:52,050 Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand 80 00:06:52,050 --> 00:06:56,370 of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity. 81 00:06:56,730 --> 00:07:00,240 I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham. 82 00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:05,040 Even if our motives are at present misunderstood, we will 83 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:08,280 reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation. 84 00:07:08,910 --> 00:07:13,740 Because the goal of America is freedom, abused and scorned. 85 00:07:13,770 --> 00:07:19,830 Though we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny. 86 00:07:20,550 --> 00:07:25,770 Before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here before the 87 00:07:25,770 --> 00:07:30,750 pen of Jefferson Edson Majestic words of the Declaration of Independence. 88 00:07:31,050 --> 00:07:33,615 Across the pages of history, we were here. 89 00:07:34,020 --> 00:07:38,640 For more than two centuries, our forebears labored in this country without wages. 90 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:40,740 They made cotton king. 91 00:07:41,159 --> 00:07:44,789 They built the homes of their masters while suffering gross 92 00:07:44,789 --> 00:07:47,640 injustice and shameful humiliation. 93 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:53,190 And yet, out of a bottomless vitality, they continue to thrive and develop. 94 00:07:53,729 --> 00:07:59,340 If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the 95 00:07:59,340 --> 00:08:03,570 opposition we now face will surely fail. 96 00:08:04,125 --> 00:08:09,585 We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and 97 00:08:09,585 --> 00:08:16,784 the eternal will of the Almighty God are embodied in our echoing demands. 98 00:08:17,174 --> 00:08:19,935 Never before have I written so long a letter. 99 00:08:20,625 --> 00:08:24,495 I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. 100 00:08:24,974 --> 00:08:28,905 I can assure you that it would've been much shorter if I had been 101 00:08:28,909 --> 00:08:30,330 writing from a comfortable desk. 102 00:08:30,705 --> 00:08:34,845 But what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell? 103 00:08:35,324 --> 00:08:40,635 Other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray Long praise. 104 00:08:41,444 --> 00:08:46,125 If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates 105 00:08:46,125 --> 00:08:51,470 an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me if I've said anything 106 00:08:52,275 --> 00:08:57,885 that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to 107 00:08:57,885 --> 00:09:00,194 settle for anything less than brotherhood. 108 00:09:00,750 --> 00:09:02,670 I beg God to forgive me. 109 00:09:03,270 --> 00:09:06,120 I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. 110 00:09:06,780 --> 00:09:11,699 I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each 111 00:09:11,699 --> 00:09:17,280 of you, not as an integrationist or as a civil rights leader, but as a fellow 112 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:22,530 clergyman and a Christian brother, let us all hope that the dark clouds of 113 00:09:22,530 --> 00:09:28,260 racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding. 114 00:09:28,605 --> 00:09:33,195 We'll be lifted from our fear drench communities and in some not 115 00:09:33,195 --> 00:09:38,265 too distant Tomorrow, the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will 116 00:09:38,265 --> 00:09:43,065 shine over to our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. 117 00:09:43,500 --> 00:09:48,060 Yours for the cause of peace and brotherhood Martin Luther King, Jr. 118 00:09:48,510 --> 00:09:52,439 In 1957 in New Orleans, sticking to build upon the success of the 119 00:09:52,439 --> 00:09:56,310 Montgomery Bus boycott with the hope of upgrading the status of southern 120 00:09:56,310 --> 00:09:59,760 blacks and America's poor King summed together a number of black 121 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,780 leaders to lay the foundation for the organization, now known as the Southern 122 00:10:03,780 --> 00:10:06,105 Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC. 123 00:10:06,915 --> 00:10:10,635 King was elected as first president, and then Sue began helping other 124 00:10:10,635 --> 00:10:13,875 communities organize their own protest against discrimination. 125 00:10:14,265 --> 00:10:18,344 The Honorable Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta and US Ambassador was 126 00:10:18,344 --> 00:10:20,505 one of King's most trusted advisors. 127 00:10:20,655 --> 00:10:23,864 Looking back on it, we think of those as the best days of our lives. 128 00:10:24,344 --> 00:10:26,655 Actually, at the time it was, uh. 129 00:10:26,730 --> 00:10:29,220 I mean, we really didn't know what we were doing. 130 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:33,570 We knew things were wrong and that somebody had to do something about it. 131 00:10:33,630 --> 00:10:37,050 And we just stumbled along from one thing to the other, to we 132 00:10:37,050 --> 00:10:38,160 found a way to make it work. 133 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:44,760 And uh, fortunately most of us had read a lot about India, and we understood 134 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,100 some of the nonviolent methods of Gandhi. 135 00:10:47,730 --> 00:10:51,120 And we just experimented until we found out how to organize people. 136 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,010 Nobody was trained as an organizer. 137 00:10:53,670 --> 00:10:55,110 We knew the black community. 138 00:10:56,325 --> 00:11:00,555 We knew the cities that we were working in fairly well, and, uh, 139 00:11:00,855 --> 00:11:04,305 we learned gradually over a period of time how to get things done. 140 00:11:04,395 --> 00:11:06,150 What type of impact did the late Dr. 141 00:11:06,150 --> 00:11:08,085 Martin Luther King have on you at that time? 142 00:11:08,385 --> 00:11:11,805 Well, Martin was an amazing young man. 143 00:11:12,135 --> 00:11:14,475 He had been sort of thrust in the leadership. 144 00:11:14,985 --> 00:11:18,405 He never really wanted it, and yet he couldn't get away from it, 145 00:11:18,915 --> 00:11:22,425 and he was essentially trying to do something for other people. 146 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,090 That kind of dedication and the sort of things that he said. 147 00:11:27,090 --> 00:11:31,199 Matter of factly, if a person hadn't found something that they're willing to die for, 148 00:11:31,199 --> 00:11:32,730 they're probably not fit to live anyway. 149 00:11:33,270 --> 00:11:37,140 You know, somebody dropped that on you in a joking kind of friendly conversation, 150 00:11:37,470 --> 00:11:40,140 it makes you think, you know, what is it that I'm willing to die for? 151 00:11:40,620 --> 00:11:45,750 And you begin to, to think about your life and think about other people in a new way. 152 00:11:46,439 --> 00:11:50,280 I mean, he was amazing that all of the things that he did, and he 153 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:51,810 never lived to be 40 years old. 154 00:11:52,605 --> 00:11:57,825 And yet in the midst of it all, he was still privately a very 155 00:11:57,825 --> 00:12:03,765 easygoing, uh, friendly, joking, clowning, you know, lovable guy 156 00:12:03,885 --> 00:12:07,215 you're listening to in Black America with Johnny O. Hanson, Jr. 157 00:12:07,335 --> 00:12:09,225 We'll be back in just a moment. 158 00:12:10,395 --> 00:12:15,615 Now back to this episode of In Black America in 1953, king completed his 159 00:12:15,615 --> 00:12:17,145 doctrine and was granted the degree. 160 00:12:17,145 --> 00:12:21,285 Two years later, upon completion of his dissertation, married at 161 00:12:21,285 --> 00:12:24,915 the time, he returned to the south to become pastor of Dexter Avenue 162 00:12:24,915 --> 00:12:27,045 Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. 163 00:12:27,545 --> 00:12:28,025 There. 164 00:12:28,145 --> 00:12:30,665 He made his first mark on the civil rights movement. 165 00:12:30,965 --> 00:12:35,405 King ply for justice and equal rights began on December 5th, 1955. 166 00:12:35,765 --> 00:12:39,515 Five days after the late Rosa Park refused to obey the city rules, 167 00:12:39,605 --> 00:12:41,795 mandating segregation on buses. 168 00:12:42,210 --> 00:12:46,800 In 1956, as the boycott continued King Gang national prominence as the 169 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:51,120 result of his exceptional speaking skills and personal courage, although 170 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,630 increasingly betrayed as a preeminent black spokesperson, king did not 171 00:12:54,630 --> 00:12:58,590 mobilize mass protest activities during the first five years after 172 00:12:58,590 --> 00:13:00,840 the Montgomery bus boycott had ended. 173 00:13:01,300 --> 00:13:06,040 On August 28th, 1963, king led a massive march on Washington 174 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:10,120 DC and delivered one of his most passionate addresses of his career. 175 00:13:10,330 --> 00:13:15,460 Even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of 176 00:13:16,450 --> 00:13:23,290 injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed 177 00:13:23,290 --> 00:13:25,960 into an oasis of freedom and justice. 178 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:27,040 I have a dream. 179 00:13:30,089 --> 00:13:36,224 That my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not 180 00:13:36,224 --> 00:13:40,245 be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. 181 00:13:40,454 --> 00:13:41,925 I have a dream today. 182 00:13:51,140 --> 00:13:55,339 I have a dream that one day down. 183 00:13:56,714 --> 00:13:59,594 In Alabama with its vicious racists. 184 00:13:59,940 --> 00:14:00,000 Yeah. 185 00:14:00,630 --> 00:14:04,710 With its governor having his lips dripping with the words of 186 00:14:04,950 --> 00:14:06,480 interposition and nullification. 187 00:14:06,510 --> 00:14:06,600 Yes. 188 00:14:07,050 --> 00:14:11,370 One day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls 189 00:14:11,550 --> 00:14:14,970 will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls. 190 00:14:15,090 --> 00:14:17,280 As sisters and brothers, I have a dream. 191 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:17,580 Today, 192 00:14:25,305 --> 00:14:29,100 I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted. 193 00:14:29,925 --> 00:14:32,085 Every hill and mounting shall be made low. 194 00:14:32,085 --> 00:14:36,465 The rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight. 195 00:14:36,645 --> 00:14:39,045 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed in all 196 00:14:39,045 --> 00:14:41,085 flesh shall see it together. 197 00:14:41,715 --> 00:14:43,005 This is our hope. 198 00:14:43,635 --> 00:14:46,755 This is the faith that I go back to the south with. 199 00:14:47,355 --> 00:14:52,095 With this faith, we will be able to hue out of the mountain of despair, 200 00:14:52,545 --> 00:14:54,950 a stone of hope with this faith. 201 00:14:55,335 --> 00:15:00,855 Yeah, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into 202 00:15:00,855 --> 00:15:02,955 a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. 203 00:15:03,255 --> 00:15:08,445 With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle 204 00:15:08,445 --> 00:15:12,495 together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, 205 00:15:12,765 --> 00:15:15,585 knowing that we will be free one day. 206 00:15:17,175 --> 00:15:18,555 This will be the day. 207 00:15:20,385 --> 00:15:23,025 This will be the day when all of God's children. 208 00:15:23,955 --> 00:15:28,035 Well be able to sing with new meaning my country, tears of thee 209 00:15:29,055 --> 00:15:30,975 sweet land, of liberty of thee. 210 00:15:30,975 --> 00:15:34,245 I sing land where my father's died. 211 00:15:34,245 --> 00:15:35,535 Land of the pilgrim's. 212 00:15:35,535 --> 00:15:38,805 Pride from every mountainside. 213 00:15:39,585 --> 00:15:40,515 Let freedom ring. 214 00:15:40,515 --> 00:15:44,445 And if Americas to be a great nation, this must become true. 215 00:15:45,135 --> 00:15:49,635 So let freedom rain from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. 216 00:15:50,325 --> 00:15:51,315 Let freedom, rain. 217 00:15:51,375 --> 00:15:56,715 Yeah, from the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring from the 218 00:15:56,715 --> 00:15:58,905 heightening Allegheny's of Pennsylvania. 219 00:15:59,655 --> 00:16:02,925 Let freedom ring from the snow cap Rockies of Colorado. 220 00:16:04,035 --> 00:16:07,515 Let freedom ring from the CVAs of slopes of California. 221 00:16:08,085 --> 00:16:08,805 But not only that. 222 00:16:09,195 --> 00:16:13,305 Wow, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. 223 00:16:14,685 --> 00:16:18,255 Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. 224 00:16:19,155 --> 00:16:23,715 Let freedom ring from every hill and Mo Hill of Mississippi 225 00:16:24,075 --> 00:16:25,875 from every mountain side. 226 00:16:26,715 --> 00:16:27,765 Let freedom ring. 227 00:16:27,765 --> 00:16:28,965 And when this happens, 228 00:16:31,875 --> 00:16:37,800 when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every Hamlet. 229 00:16:38,475 --> 00:16:39,645 From every state. 230 00:16:39,990 --> 00:16:46,079 In every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's 231 00:16:46,079 --> 00:16:50,939 children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants, and 232 00:16:50,939 --> 00:16:55,980 Catholics will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro. 233 00:16:55,980 --> 00:16:58,920 Spiritual free at last, free at last. 234 00:16:59,555 --> 00:17:00,665 Thank God Almighty. 235 00:17:01,055 --> 00:17:01,295 We fear that 236 00:17:03,065 --> 00:17:07,355 in 1963, Ty Magazine named him its person of the Year. 237 00:17:07,925 --> 00:17:11,915 A few months later, in December, 1964, he was recipient of 238 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:13,535 the Nobel Prize for peace. 239 00:17:14,410 --> 00:17:19,599 After his return from Norway, king took on new challenges in Selma, Alabama. 240 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:21,700 He led a voter registration campaign. 241 00:17:21,700 --> 00:17:24,069 They ended in the Selma to Montgomery Freedom. 242 00:17:24,069 --> 00:17:29,500 March King brought his crusade to Chicago where he started programs to rehabilitate 243 00:17:29,500 --> 00:17:31,210 the slums and provide housing. 244 00:17:31,565 --> 00:17:36,635 In April, 1968, king lent his support to the Memphis sanitation workers. 245 00:17:36,815 --> 00:17:39,995 He wanted to discourage violence and wanted to focus national 246 00:17:39,995 --> 00:17:44,015 attention on the ply of the poor and unorganized workers of the city. 247 00:17:44,585 --> 00:17:49,205 The men were bargaining for basic union representation and long overdue raises. 248 00:17:49,715 --> 00:17:52,745 The strike became the new testing ground for the new direction of the 249 00:17:52,745 --> 00:17:57,425 poor People's Campaign was taking, which merged civil rights issues, economic 250 00:17:57,425 --> 00:18:00,544 concerns on the eve of his assassination. 251 00:18:00,544 --> 00:18:05,435 This was King and SLCs second attempt at a nonviolent protest march. 252 00:18:05,524 --> 00:18:07,050 I just wanna do God's will 253 00:18:09,455 --> 00:18:13,655 and he is allowed me to go up to the mountain and I've 254 00:18:13,655 --> 00:18:17,885 looked over and I've seen. 255 00:18:18,465 --> 00:18:22,605 The promised land, I may not get there with you. 256 00:18:23,730 --> 00:18:30,420 But I want you to know the night that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. 257 00:18:36,390 --> 00:18:37,770 So I'm happy tonight. 258 00:18:37,770 --> 00:18:40,050 I'm not worried about anything. 259 00:18:40,050 --> 00:18:40,380 I'm not. 260 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:41,110 Fear in a man. 261 00:18:43,150 --> 00:18:45,595 My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. 262 00:18:48,790 --> 00:18:52,570 Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Was shot in the head 263 00:18:52,570 --> 00:18:55,960 and is now in critical condition in a Memphis, Tennessee hospital. 264 00:18:56,170 --> 00:19:00,725 The latest reports from Memphis say, Dr. King was hit by gunfire while standing on 265 00:19:00,730 --> 00:19:05,080 the balcony of his hotel room just before seven o'clock Eastern Standard time. 266 00:19:05,475 --> 00:19:07,125 The bullet exploded in his face. 267 00:19:07,485 --> 00:19:12,615 He was standing at an acute angle and the bullet knocked him up 268 00:19:12,615 --> 00:19:15,345 off of his feet in that direction against that ledger over there. 269 00:19:15,795 --> 00:19:18,465 You couldn't tell it was a shot until it hit his face. 270 00:19:18,555 --> 00:19:22,065 It sounded like a, a stick of dynamite or a large firecracker. 271 00:19:22,485 --> 00:19:26,355 Police say a man wearing a dark suit dropped the weapon about a 272 00:19:26,355 --> 00:19:30,045 block from the shooting scene and jumped into a late model white car. 273 00:19:31,455 --> 00:19:36,405 Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please at seven 10 this evening. 274 00:19:36,405 --> 00:19:39,375 Martin Luther King was shot in Tennessee. 275 00:19:40,455 --> 00:19:42,765 Martin Luther King 20 minutes ago died. 276 00:19:45,675 --> 00:19:50,655 For those of you who are black and are attempted to fill with, 277 00:19:50,925 --> 00:19:56,740 be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act. 278 00:19:59,159 --> 00:20:00,629 Against all white people. 279 00:20:01,950 --> 00:20:02,760 I would only say that. 280 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:07,290 I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. 281 00:20:08,700 --> 00:20:10,105 I had a member of my family killed. 282 00:20:11,905 --> 00:20:13,500 But he was killed by a white man 283 00:20:32,945 --> 00:20:38,725 is too small for his spirit, but we commit his body. 284 00:20:39,195 --> 00:20:40,845 No to the ground. 285 00:20:42,615 --> 00:20:50,985 The grave is too narrow for his soul, but we commit his body to the ground. 286 00:20:52,514 --> 00:21:03,195 No coffin, no crypt, no vault, no stone can hold his greatness, but 287 00:21:03,195 --> 00:21:06,675 we commit his body to the ground. 288 00:21:07,185 --> 00:21:12,825 On Sunday, October 16th, 2011, some 10,000 spectators and dignitaries 289 00:21:12,825 --> 00:21:16,965 gathered on the National Mall for the dedication of the memorial for Dr. 290 00:21:16,965 --> 00:21:21,195 Martin Luther King Jr. Among the speakers were a who's who of civil 291 00:21:21,195 --> 00:21:25,125 rights leaders, king's children, as well as President Obama. 292 00:21:25,700 --> 00:21:30,260 President Obama urge the nation that day to celebrate the dedication of Memorial 293 00:21:30,380 --> 00:21:33,800 by continuing to press for the goals and hopes of the black preacher with 294 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:38,720 no official rank or title, who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and 295 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:40,940 helped make the nation more perfect. 296 00:21:41,030 --> 00:21:45,950 An earthquake and a hurricane may have delayed this day, but this 297 00:21:45,950 --> 00:21:48,320 is a day that would not be denied. 298 00:21:48,980 --> 00:21:53,540 For this day, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's. 299 00:21:53,879 --> 00:21:55,860 Return to the National Mall. 300 00:21:56,490 --> 00:22:00,719 His life, his story tells us that change can come. 301 00:22:00,719 --> 00:22:04,620 If you don't give up, he would not give up no matter how long it took. 302 00:22:05,070 --> 00:22:09,030 Because in the smallest hamlets and the darkest slums, he had witnessed 303 00:22:09,030 --> 00:22:12,840 the highest reaches of the human spirit because in those moments when 304 00:22:12,870 --> 00:22:16,830 the struggle seemed most hopeless, he had seen men and women and children 305 00:22:17,010 --> 00:22:21,060 conquer their fear because he had seen hills and mountains made low. 306 00:22:21,810 --> 00:22:25,020 And rough places made plain and the crooked places made straight 307 00:22:25,199 --> 00:22:27,000 and God make a way outta no way. 308 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:31,889 And that is why we honor this man, because he had faith in us and that 309 00:22:31,889 --> 00:22:36,629 is why he belongs on this long, because he saw what we might become. 310 00:22:37,290 --> 00:22:41,159 That is why Dr. King was so quintessentially American, because 311 00:22:41,159 --> 00:22:45,540 for all the hardships we've endured, for all our sometimes tragic 312 00:22:45,540 --> 00:22:47,520 history, ours is a story of optimism. 313 00:22:48,284 --> 00:22:52,215 And achievement and constant striving that is unique upon this earth, 314 00:22:52,875 --> 00:22:55,935 and that is why the rest of the world still looks to us to lead. 315 00:22:57,044 --> 00:23:00,615 This is a country where ordinary people find in their hearts the 316 00:23:00,615 --> 00:23:02,715 courage to do extraordinary things. 317 00:23:03,615 --> 00:23:06,615 The courage to stand up in the face of the fiercest resistance. 318 00:23:06,855 --> 00:23:10,695 And to spare and say, this is wrong, and this is right. 319 00:23:10,845 --> 00:23:13,305 We will not settle for what the cynics tell us. 320 00:23:13,305 --> 00:23:16,665 We have to accept and we will reach again and again no matter the 321 00:23:16,665 --> 00:23:18,460 odds for what we know is possible. 322 00:23:19,185 --> 00:23:21,495 That is the conviction we must carry. 323 00:23:21,495 --> 00:23:26,655 Now in our hearts, as tough as times may be, I know we will overcome. 324 00:23:27,465 --> 00:23:29,445 I know there are better days ahead. 325 00:23:29,955 --> 00:23:32,895 I know this because of the man towering over us. 326 00:23:33,195 --> 00:23:36,675 I know this because all he and his generation endured. 327 00:23:37,215 --> 00:23:42,075 We are here today in a country that dedicated a monument to that legacy. 328 00:23:42,645 --> 00:23:46,755 And so with our eyes on the horizon and our faith squarely placed in one another. 329 00:23:48,015 --> 00:23:48,975 Let us keep striving. 330 00:23:49,995 --> 00:23:50,895 Let us keep struggling. 331 00:23:52,065 --> 00:23:56,475 Let us keep climbing toward that promised land of a nation in a world that is 332 00:23:56,475 --> 00:24:01,255 more fair and more ju-just and more equal for every single child of God. 333 00:24:02,595 --> 00:24:02,925 Thank you. 334 00:24:02,925 --> 00:24:05,025 God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. 335 00:24:06,225 --> 00:24:09,975 In September, 1991, the National Civil Rights Museum at the 336 00:24:09,975 --> 00:24:11,955 Lorraine Motel was dedicated. 337 00:24:12,405 --> 00:24:16,335 The museum traces the history of the Civil Rights movement from its beginning to the 338 00:24:16,335 --> 00:24:20,835 present, the museum has been built around the hotel where King stayed while in. 339 00:24:21,700 --> 00:24:24,970 His room and that of his age have been kept as it was that 340 00:24:24,970 --> 00:24:28,120 faithful evening in April, 1968. 341 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:32,710 Dr. King had been in Memphis, uh, prior to the assassination and prior to the, 342 00:24:32,710 --> 00:24:37,510 uh, uh, um, coming in March for the, for the march that, uh, broke out in violence. 343 00:24:37,510 --> 00:24:39,775 He'd come here before and he'd stayed at the Lorraine. 344 00:24:40,399 --> 00:24:43,159 He, this was the room that he'd usually stay in. 345 00:24:43,159 --> 00:24:47,120 It's a nice room, a nice, uh, king size bed, even for that time, you 346 00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:48,110 know, that would've been nice. 347 00:24:48,110 --> 00:24:51,800 So he stayed here and we have kept the original furniture that was in the room 348 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:56,960 at the time, and it's been redone to look as it, uh, did in 1968, but this is where 349 00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:58,970 he was the night of the assassination. 350 00:24:59,990 --> 00:25:01,340 That's room 3 0 7. 351 00:25:01,340 --> 00:25:06,620 Now, across here is room 3 0 6, and this is the room that was being occupied 352 00:25:06,620 --> 00:25:09,889 by some of Dr. King's age with the double, with the two beds in here. 353 00:25:10,514 --> 00:25:14,955 Uh, but this is the room that he walked out of, uh, just prior to being shot. 354 00:25:15,375 --> 00:25:18,165 Uh, he had been in here with Reverend Abernathy and some others, and they 355 00:25:18,165 --> 00:25:20,445 were, as you can see, having some food. 356 00:25:20,445 --> 00:25:23,175 There's some catfish on the plate over there. 357 00:25:23,175 --> 00:25:26,655 And, uh, dishes and the glasses and milk and the like. 358 00:25:27,014 --> 00:25:29,685 And this room has been recreated to appear as it did on the 359 00:25:29,925 --> 00:25:31,395 evening of the assassination. 360 00:25:31,725 --> 00:25:32,070 And again. 361 00:25:32,700 --> 00:25:35,820 The furniture in the room is all the furniture that was here at the time. 362 00:25:35,820 --> 00:25:39,300 One other thing that I like about this room is the visitor stands in here and 363 00:25:39,300 --> 00:25:42,120 reflects and reach these display lines. 364 00:25:42,150 --> 00:25:46,440 You also hear, and they light up, you know, when it acts up, you also hear Maha 365 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:48,330 Jackson, softly singing Precious Lord. 366 00:25:48,900 --> 00:25:50,580 And that was Dr. King's favorite song. 367 00:25:50,580 --> 00:25:54,480 So it's just, it brings tears to your eyes when it, when it all is operating. 368 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:54,600 You know, 369 00:25:55,050 --> 00:25:56,400 I was just so struck by, 370 00:25:56,700 --> 00:25:58,800 uh, that last little line there. 371 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:00,190 I just, with them putting the. 372 00:26:00,405 --> 00:26:05,024 A casket on the plane there that just tells it all that somebody said, 373 00:26:05,024 --> 00:26:06,375 and it's just some ordinary person. 374 00:26:06,375 --> 00:26:08,535 I said, we, we really lost somebody, didn't we 375 00:26:18,210 --> 00:26:18,430 all? 376 00:26:28,379 --> 00:26:29,199 Am we 377 00:26:42,949 --> 00:26:44,879 through the. 378 00:26:53,250 --> 00:26:53,370 Through 379 00:27:00,115 --> 00:27:00,335 the. 380 00:27:21,855 --> 00:27:22,815 Take my hand. 381 00:27:24,645 --> 00:27:28,875 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Was 39 at the time of his death. 382 00:27:29,535 --> 00:27:34,125 He was shot while standing on the balcony at the Rain Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. 383 00:27:34,755 --> 00:27:37,905 This has been a tribute to the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King 384 00:27:37,905 --> 00:27:40,755 Jr. Who would've been 97 this week. 385 00:27:41,625 --> 00:27:44,925 If you have questions, comments, or suggestions as to future in 386 00:27:44,925 --> 00:27:49,995 Black America programs, email us at In Black america@kut.org. 387 00:27:51,315 --> 00:27:53,860 Also, let us know what radio station your heard is over. 388 00:27:54,795 --> 00:27:55,335 Don't forget. 389 00:27:55,335 --> 00:28:00,555 Subscribe to our podcast and follow up on Facebook and X. You can have 390 00:28:00,555 --> 00:28:03,764 previous programs online@t.org. 391 00:28:04,784 --> 00:28:08,865 Also, you can listen to a special collection of In Black America programs at 392 00:28:08,865 --> 00:28:11,205 American Archive of Public Broadcasting. 393 00:28:11,745 --> 00:28:14,295 That's American archives.org. 394 00:28:14,820 --> 00:28:18,929 The views and opinions expressed on this program are not necessary 395 00:28:18,929 --> 00:28:22,949 though of this station or of the University of Texas at Austin. 396 00:28:23,639 --> 00:28:27,929 Until we have the opportunity again for Ken co-producer David Alvarez. 397 00:28:28,290 --> 00:28:31,709 I'm Johnny O. Hanson, Jr. Thank you for joining us today. 398 00:28:31,919 --> 00:28:33,990 Please join us again next week. 399 00:28:43,860 --> 00:28:47,520 Cd copies of this program are available and may be purchased 400 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:49,320 by writing in Black America. 401 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:50,940 CDs, KUT. 402 00:28:50,940 --> 00:28:56,850 Radio One University Station, Austin, Texas 7 8 7 1 2. 403 00:28:57,210 --> 00:28:58,830 That's in Black America. 404 00:28:58,830 --> 00:29:02,790 CDs, KUT Radio One University Station. 405 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:06,120 Austin, Texas 7 8 7 1 2. 406 00:29:06,510 --> 00:29:08,550 This has been a production of KUT radio.