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" I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us, the pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night."

And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say that threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord".

~ taken from a speech MLK gave on April 3, 1968. He was assassinated the next day, April 4, 1968.

I was a junior in high school ... I was really naive about the ways of the world, but this one made me sooo sad ... and then, we lost Bobby right after that.

'Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out
In the Memphis sky
Free at last
They took your life
They could not take your Pride'

Pride-In The Name of Love

A day of reflection...

I was one of 80 from my high school that was visiting Washington DC on a school trip. On the day after, we were at the Smithsonian, just a few blocks from some of the worst looting and rioting when the city established an early curfew. We were rushed onto our buses, and rushed to the airport (we were scheduled to fly home that night).

I remember turning around and seeing all the smoke and flames from the fires, and sitting on the bus watching the National Guard units pour into the city as we were being rushed out!

It wasn't until just before landing in Chicago that we had any knowledge of problems in any other city-our pilot pointed out the fires from the riots on the west side of Chicago.

A sad, and very scary time for all of us.

I was in junior high. I remember the riots. That same year we
had Bobby Kennedy killed, the riots at the Democratic convention in
Chicago, and the Vietnam war was in full swing. What a f****d-up
year.

I was in second grade, and while it was awful, I don't remember it being all-consuming. I was much older before I put it together: my grandfather was gravely ill at the time and died 3 days later. Our family was totally focused on him and not much else outside, even terrible events like this.

Sophmore in HS , was also a tad naive but I did know that something very valuable had been lost but also found. And like ETP said, a month later Bobby. I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if they hadn't been killed. They weren't perfect people by any means but they had the ability to rally people around their vision.

It's good to remember.

My dad passed away one year before to the date, so we were still grieving from that, and that was all that was on my mind that day one year later, our world had ended as we knew it. I guess this was what consumed our family at the time, I do remember the riots, these even happened in our little town, too. Then RFK, it was a sad time for the nation, and a really sad time for our family.

I was 14. It made a big impression on me....along with the other events of that time....

I was only 8 ... remember my parents being very quiet and somber that day.. not much else.

ScarletB wrote:I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if they hadn't been killed.

Me too..

SMLCHNG wrote:I was only 8 ... remember my parents being very quiet and somber that day.. not much else.

ScarletB wrote:I sometimes wonder what the world would be like if they hadn't been killed.

Me too..

Well he was planning another march on Washington - this time it was going to span across racial lines as part of his war on poverty. After fighting to end de jure segregation in the south- ending Jim Crow laws, voting restrictions, etc. - he planned to work against problems that was a much bigger problem for the entire country as a whole. Also, he had lost the support of LBJ because he was becoming more outspoken against Vietnam.

I was a sophmore in high school. I was in my room doing my home work with the radio on and the music was interrupted with a special news bulletin saying M.L.K. had been shot and was in critical condition.
I took a deep breath and continued doing my home work, and about an hour later, the same news flash hit the air waves.
By this time I was pretty out of it and more quiet than usual, which my mother noticed and commented on.
I didn't tell her what I'd just heard on the radio.
A short while later, she and I were watching TV together and a news flash came on saying M.L.K. had been shot to death.
I'll never forget the shock my mother experienced when she'd heard that.

A few days later, I was at my grandparent's house, and they were showing all the rioting on TV, and my grandmother began crying.
Two months later, R.F.K. was murdered.
Apologies to anyone born in 1968, but that was one totally screwed up year with SO many people having their heads shoved SO far up their a$$, not just the America-hating hippie bast--ds.

I lived in Memphis from 1989-1996, and had driven by the Lorainne Motel (now the civil rights museum) hundreds of times, but never took a tour of it until my parents visited me in 1993. They wanted to see it, so I took them.
It was a very touching, somber, and moving experience. I took the tour, and it was as if I was re-living that night all over again.

Very sad, very tragic.

There was a wonderful story on the NBC Nightly News tonight about Best Buy and how they are bringing a lot of their managers to the motel/civil rights museum as part of their training and education. Those interviewed and shown seemed to be greatly moved by the experience.

This is a very poignant anniversary in the midst of an historic presidential race,
and Sen. John McCain showed exceptional courage in speaking to the people at today's observance in Memphis.

In the true spirit of Dr. King, who preached non-violence, many of those in attendance really could have created quite a disturbance after listening to a man who voted against, and represents the LAST state in our union to observe Dr. King's holiday.

He apologized, for what is was worth...