One of America's Greatest Heroes:
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
by Sandy Gholston, April 4, 2008
This week, specifically today, marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he stood on a second-floor balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. on April 4, 1968.
It all happened before I was born but like so many Americans, King's life and deeds still impact my life and the lives of millions of others - an enduring impact. When I think of King, it would be so easy, and perhaps natural, for me to say I think of his historic "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. That certainly was one of the greatest, most significant and important speeches in United States history. I do think of that. I also, however, remember King's tragic and premature death by an assassin's bullet. What continues to move me so much, as I think of and continue to admire King's immeasurable and positive contributions, was his final speech - one he delivered in Memphis the night before he was gunned down at the age of 39.
For me, that trip to Memphis is memorable for many reasons, but two in particular: (1) He came to show support for black sanitation workers striking for wages and treatment equal to what their white counterparts were receiving. King was not traveling to Memphis for selfish reasons, money or for some sort of publicity. He was there, unselfishly, to speak on behalf of sanitation workers who simply wanted the same treatment - fair treatment. The struggles of the sanitation workers, to King, were the struggles of all people and thus no less important. (2) I remember King's selflessness and willingness to sacrifice expressed in his final and often underappreciated speech, entitled "I've Been to the Mountaintop," delivered at Mason Temple on April 3, 1968.
I will share the last part of that historic speech to illustrate an exhausted King's selflessness and passion that drove him to put his life on the line everyday for a cause he so deeply believed in:
"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."
King, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 - the youngest to achieve such an honor - for his efforts to end racial discrimination and segregation through nonviolent action and civil disobedience, today (April 4, 2008) is being remembered nationwide and worldwide on the 40th anniversary of his death. King, near the end of his life working to help poor people of all races, in the end made the ultimate sacrifice. He sacrificed his own life to help make the lives of so many others better and leave the world better than the way he discovered it.
The man and his deeds have continued to positively impact so many lives. Said native Detroiter, Georgetown University professor, Baptist minister and author Michael Eric Dyson to the Detroit Free Press (April 4, 2008), "In my estimation, King is the great American to have ever lived."
We may not yet be at the Promised Land King spoke of on April 3, 1968 in Memphis. But, there is little doubt we are far closer to realizing that dream thanks to the magnificent, important and selfless contributions of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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