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Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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..." FREEDOM AWARDS: Spike Lee, Xernona Clayton and Sherrilyn Ifill honored 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 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
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marchers recreate final leg of 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march
Civil rights leaders march to the Alabama State Capitol building on Sunday, March 23, 2025 to commemorate the Selma to Montgomery march that eventually led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector) Local elected officials, civil rights leaders and dignitaries walked more than 3 miles from St. Jude Catholic Church to the Alabama State Capitol on Sunday, replicating the final leg of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march. Sunday's event ended with speeches celebrating the courage and honoring the sacrifice of those on the march, which led to the Voting Rights Act. But speakers also offered a stark warning that there is more work ahead. 'We celebrate the 60th anniversary of this campaign with a spirit of hope and my optimism in our very troubled times,' said Martin Luther King III, son of Martin Luther King Jr., who delivered his 'How Long, Not Long' speech on the Alabama State Capitol steps at the end of the 1965 march. 'The freedom that we won in this historic campaign was purchased with the precious blood of martyrs whose names are indelibly etched in America's freedom journey.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX King, speaking to about 200 people, mentioned several people on the march, including Jimmie Lee Jackson, who was shot and killed by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful protest in Marion. Jackson's death inspired the march. King also mentioned Viola Liuzzo, a Detroit civil rights activist and mother of five who participated in the march and was shot and killed by three members of the Ku Klux Klan as she was driving between cities to transport people participating in the march. He then spoke of others, including former U.S. Rep. John Lewis who was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during Bloody Sunday, and his father; mother Coretta Scott King and staff members who supported them. 'We need to make sure that history is enshrined because it is said that a people that do not remember their history are doomed to repeat it,' King said. King urged Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would restore federal review of voting laws passed by states or localities with histories of voting discrimination. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the requirement in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who participated in the events in 1965, also spoke to give the crowd a sense of the magnitude of that moment. 'This was the post traumatic experience of my life as a child,' Webb-Christburg said to the crowd on Sunday. 'The picture of Bloody Sunday has never left my heart.' Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed, who delivered the opening address, said that despite advancements made through the Voting Rights Act, people have yet to fully exercise their right to vote. 'Nine million Black voters stayed at home in the November election, more than enough to make up the difference of where we are in America,' he said. 'Right here in Montgomery County, only 55% of eligible voters turned out to vote. That is somewhat getting comfortable and complacent, not understanding the sacrifices, not understanding the challenges, not understanding the balance that will fall on their behalf.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
