Event marks 60 years since stab of leader in Harlem
Among the many roles Harlem played in the rich history of America was saving the life of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. in 1958, when the minister was stabbed in an uptown department store.
Before he won a Nobel Peace Prize or helped secure civil rights for AfricanAmericans, King, at 29, was nearly killed by a “demented” black woman. Izola Curry, who plunged a letter opener into his chest as he signed copies of his book about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Community leaders, students, Harlemites and historians gathered at the W. 125th St. site Thursday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the attack.
Although the event featured speeches about the chaos and a reenactment of the assault, it was clear participants were recognizing the remarkable decade that followed.
“Sixty years ago today, on this site, the world nearly stopped rotating on its axis,” said David Forstein, dean of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, which occupies the space of the former Blumstein’s department store, where King was stabbed.
After remarks and the dramatic reenactment of the stabbing at Touro, about 200 people carrying a banner reading “Saturday September 20, 1958 The Day Harlem Saved Dr. King,” and chanting “MLK, all the way” and “God bless Dr. King” marched north to Harlem Hospital.
There Emil Naclerio, a white surgeon, worked with black surgeons