martin luther king, jr. : 40 years later
dr. king’s last hour from an insider’s perspective
Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles
Monumental Baptist Church
shoulda been there
The assassination of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968 remains one of the most fateful events embedded in the minds of Americans. Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles is one of the few remaining eyewitnesses to the tragedy that occurred at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. He recently recalled how the playful camaraderie and brotherhood of room 306 dissolved into horror and bloodshed on the other side of the door. “It was three guys hanging out — we did not know it was the last hour. We weren’t in prayer or meditation because we didn’t know it. We were talkin’ ‘preacher talk,’ it was lighthearted,” says Kyles, who noted that the late Rev. Ralph David Abernathy joined in the conversation while shaving.
Kyles, who has been pastor of Monumental Baptist Church in Memphis for 48 years, arrived at the hotel to bring King to his home for dinner. He was working with King and others to organize a peaceful march on behalf of striking sanitation workers in Memphis. Kyles says when he exited the room with King onto the balcony, the leader joked with friends and activists who were in the courtyard below, one of whom was Rev. Jesse Jackson. After Kyles took a few steps down the stairs, he heard the shot explode and raced back to the room to attempt to save his friend’s life.
“I took a spread from one of the beds and covered him from the neck down and did what needed to be done,” Kyles says.
Kyles shares that even now he can’t describe his emotions following Dr. King’s death, but realizes that his presence in the great leader’s last hour speaks volumes. “I wondered why I was there at that time in history and God revealed to me why I was there. I was there because crucifixions have to have witnesses and [a] witness has to be true. Martin Luther King did not die in some foolish, untoward way ... but here he is with all these skills dying on a balcony in Memphis, Tenn., helping garbage workers,” says Kyles. “And they said, ‘We will shoot this dreamer and see what happens to his dream.’ That’s where the witness comes in [who] tells all those who will listen, ‘Yes you can kill the dreamer, but you absolutely can not kill the dream.’ The dream is still alive.”
–marissa mitchell
a king teams up with baseball
to honor historic legacies
Willie Randolph M.L. King III and Jerry Manuel
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shoulda been there
Prior to 1947 blacks were barred from playing major league baseball, America’s favorite pastime — then came Jackie Robinson. Fast-forward 61 years and a favorite son of America’s royal civil rights family delivered the opening pitch at the second annual Civil Rights Game at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn. in honor of both legacies.
“It’s something that should make all of us proud of these great heroes who were able to be professional and conduct themselves professionally, in spite of the fact that there was hostility,” says Martin Luther King III referencing the strugglesbaseball greats like Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron.
The pre-season game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets concluded baseball’s two-day celebration of the Movement. “My hope is that these kinds of events would raise the consciousness so that black kids will say ‘I want to play baseball,’ ” says King.
Sadly, African Americans make up a paltry nine percent of all players in the sport. King spoke about the declining numbers of blacks playing the game, and expounded on the lessons that baseball imparts — discipline and team work. King added that youngsters should aim for success in all fields when life throws them a curve ball.
“[My parents] taught me that we should be ashamed to die until we have won a victory for humanity,” says King.
–marissa mitchell
memphis: memorial to the
civil rights movement
see the world
Bittersweet emotions pierced my soul as I peered up at room 306 of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. As someone who wasn’t alive during the Civil Rights Movement, I now faced the actual scene that I had only viewed in school textbooks. I felt deep sadness while standing in the place where one of the world’s most compassionate humanitarians — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — was viciously cut down in the prime of his life.
The hotel, nestled in downtown Memphis, stands as the centerpiece of the National Civil Rights Museum. Before entering the museum, visitors can see the wreath that hangs on the balcony rail marking the place where the esteemed leader was felled by the assassin’s bullet. Once inside, tour guides lead visitors through the museum and the room where King last stayed. That room has been left intact since his death.
The museum traces African American history from slavery through the 20th century. After exploring massive galleries filled with pictures, documents and 3-D re-enactments of events like sit-ins and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, visitors leave the premise with a tremendous sense of the struggles and triumphs of a people.
I, too, left the museum with a greater knowledge of my history, but also realizing that King’s dream truly lives on through many people — people of different races and nationalities whose commitment to civil and human rights continues to honor his legacy. –marissa mitchell
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