Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.: National Civil Rights Museum to celebrate MLK's legacy
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been dead almost 60 years, but his philosophy — his lifelong commitment to "nonviolent direction action" to effect political change — remains relevant as a playbook for those seeking to address "current social chaos."
That's part of the message delivered by the National Civil Rights Museum this week as museum officials, politicians, students, artists and others commemorate the 57th anniversary of King's assassination in Downtown Memphis.
The 39-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate was shot and killed April 4, 1968, while he was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Labeled "sacred ground" by Jesse Jackson and other King acolytes, the motel was partially preserved and incorporated into the museum, which opened in 1991, "to chronicle the American civil rights movement and tell the story of the ongoing struggle for human rights," and to "educate and serve as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change," according to its mission statement.
Since then, a museum tradition has been to place a wreath outside the door of the preserved motel room where King was staying at the time of his death, while in Memphis to support the city's striking sanitation workers. That tradition marks the climax of the museum's annual April 4 commemoration ceremony.
This year's ceremony, which begins at 5 p.m. Friday in the museum courtyard at 450 Mulberry, is titled "Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. The Moment.' The theme is "How Long, Not Long," which is the popular name for the speech King delivered on the steps of the Alabama state capital during a 1965 voting rights rally that followed the completion of the famous Selma-to-Montgomery march.
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," even in the face of "age-old oppressors" and "the worst in American life," King said in the speech.
"The Museum invites the nation to focus on Dr. King's nonviolent direct action in addressing current social chaos," museum officials said, in a statement promoting the April 4 ceremony.
'We're emphasizing the relevance of Dr. King's 'How Long, Not Long' to today's prevailing struggle,' said Russ Wigginton, museum president. 'We reaffirm our commitment to continuing the work that Dr. King and his allies fought for..."
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Participants in the ceremony will include performers from Hattiloo Theatre, who will present what is billed as a "dramatic interpretation" of King's "How Long, Not Long" speech; singer Deborah Thomas and the Tennessee Mass Choir" student winners of the museum's "Keeper of the Dream" award; and members of Alpha Phi Alpha, the fraternity King joined in 1952 at Boston University, where he was working on his Doctorate of Philosophy degree.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Shavon Arline-Bradley, CEO and president of the National Council of Negro Women. Arline-Bradley's background includes 21 years of advocacy in healthcare, governmental affairs, inclusion and executive leadership.
The changing-of-the-balcony-wreath is set for 6:01 p.m. — the time, approximately, when King was shot.
The event is free and open to the public. Those who can't attend in person can participate online via a live stream of the event on the museum's website at civilrightsmuseum.org, or on its YouTube and Facebook platforms.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy to be celebrated at Memphis event
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