IN KING’S SHADOW
Message still rings 50 years after assassination
Members of the National Council of Churches assemble Wednesday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial before a march to a gathering of faith leaders on the National Mall. The A.C.T. to End Racism Rally served as the starting point for a multi-year effort to address and remove racism from the nation’s social fabric.
WASHINGTON – Thousands of admirers of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gathered at his memorial Wednesday to mark 50 years since the assassination of the civil rights leader whose simple message of non-violence continues to resonate across racial and religious divides in a nation still grappling with complex racial issues.
The prayer walk and rally amid the cherry blossoms and under cloudy skies was one of dozens of commemorations planned nationwide to pay homage to King, who was shot just after 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968, as he stood on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.
President Trump weighed in on Twitter and in a presidential proclamation.
“It is not government that will achieve Dr. King’s ideals,” the proclamation reads in part. “But rather the people of this great country who will see to it that our Nation represents all that is good and true, and embodies unity, peace, and justice.”
Memphis was host to an “I Am A Man” march to the Mason Temple Church, where King gave his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech the night before he was killed. The march was led by sanitation workers union members, whose low pay brought King to the city.
On Wednesday, King admirers from across the nation gathered on the city’s historic Beale Street. Tanya Russell drove from Denver with her two sons,
“It’s be a empowering, part of this. I moving, have to friends and family here, and it was important to be here.” Tanya Russell Drove from Denver to attend with her two sons
Xavier and Sebastian, to be a part of the Memphis commemorations.
“It’s empowering, moving, to be a part of this,” Russell said. “I have friends and family here, and it was important to be here.”
In Washington, a single bouquet of spring flowers stood sentry at the base of the 30-foot monument along the picturesque Tidal Basin as the diverse crowd waved signs and banners demanding an end to racism in America.
Saundra Lucas, an African-American woman wearing a shirt reading “I will end racism NOW,” said she traveled from Oklahoma to honor the occasion, remember King’s legacy and inspire others to continue his mission. Lucas, 74, said she used the trip to reflect on the day of King’s death.
“It was a sad, sad day,” Lucas said. “It was a day that seemed like all hope was gone.”
King’s death shocked the world and set off riots in more than 100 U.S. cities. Lucas said she has been hopeful seeing a new generation, especially student survivors of a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., picking up the reins.
“There’s been an awakening,” Lucas said. “His spirit has been awakened in this new generation.”
The crowd started the silent march by filing past the King monument.
King was a Baptist minister, but many faiths were represented — Sikh, Jewish, Muslim, Christian. All talked about discrimination and spreading love. The Rev. Molly Carlson, who came from Portland, Ore., despite a cast on her right foot, said she planned to march and rally with her teen son in hopes of standing up against bigotry.
“Racism is at the core of many of our country’s issues,” said Carlson, who is white. “We need to stand up for a just world, one where all people are not only created equal but treated that way.”
The anniversary comes amid a resurgence in white nationalist movements and after a series of fatal shootings of unarmed black men by police officers, including one in Sacramento on March 18. Shirley Paulson and other members of her church, Christian Science, talked about what they hoped would be the start of a movement.
“Historically, many churches were divided on the issue of race,” she said. “That isn’t going to be part of our future.”
Rajwant Singh, founder of the National Sikh Campaign to promote better understanding of his religion, said he emigrated from India 35 years ago for a better future for his family.
“We’ve enjoyed the freedoms of America, and while there are so many amazing opportunities, there is also a dark side,” he said. “Our skin color makes people think we’re terrorists. This bigotry affects people of all color. We can’t allow it to continue.”
Events were not limited to cities associated with King. Rep. John Lewis headlined an event in Indianapolis in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
The congressman, 78, talked about the Freedom Riders, voter registration for blacks in the South during the 1960s and about meeting with King, who called him “the boy from Troy.”
“Stand up, speak up and get in good trouble,” Lewis told his young audience.
The NAACP sponsored an event in Paterson, N.J., where King visited on March 27, 1968. It would be his last appearance in the North.
Charley Mae Garrison was in the choir that day. “He was very kind,” she said. “He was talking about the things we need to do in our neighborhood, and what young people need to do to walk a straight line and stay out of trouble.”