Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Heed King’s legacy, Memphis crowd told
MEMPHIS — Activists claiming an imbalance in economic and social equality rallied at a Memphis church Tuesday, the 49th anniversary of the assassination of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
More than 200 people gathered at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church to hear guest speakers talk about the legacy of King, who was felled by a sniper’s bullet at a Memphis hotel on April 4, 1968. King was in the midst of his “Poor People’s Campaign” when he went to Memphis to support striking sanitation workers seeking better pay, safer working conditions and union rights.
The Revs. Jesse Jackson and William Barber on Tuesday each talked about how King’s fight for economic and racial equality and social justice is far from over. A vocalist belted out a religious hymn and another song, “The Impossible Dream,” and attendees held hands in prayer.
Barber, the pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C., called for those seeking progress on social and economic issues affecting poor people to help register more black voters and engage in “civil disobedience.” He also was critical of President Donald Trump, including his effort to suspend new visas for people in six Muslim-majority countries.
The rally preceded a march in downtown Memphis from City Hall to the National Civil Rights Museum, the site of the former Lorraine Motel. King was standing on the motel’s balcony when he was shot.