50 ème birthday of the death of Martin Luther King

On April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated on the balcony of his hotel, Lorraine Motel with Memphis, from now on a museum of the civic rights.

Martin Luther King Jr was born in Atlanta on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta in a family from pastors. At the 6 years age, it is already victim of racial segregation. Whereas it is 10 years old, it sings with the chorus of its church for the first of the film “Gone With The Wind” and between at the 15 years age at the university booked to the black boys, Morehousse College In June 1948, it takes down the diploma of Bacheor of Arts in sociology then integrates Crozer Theological Seminary where it obtains a licence in theology in 1951 then its doctorate at the university of Boston in 1955.

In time, it met Coretta Scott whom it marries in 1953 and with which it will have 4 children.  The same year, he becomes Pasteur of the church Baptist in Montgomery (Alabama) in full period of violence made against the blacks.

In 1955, after the racist murders of a 14 year old teenager, of committed Pasteur George W. Lee, the militant of the civic rights Lamar Smith and the arrest of Rosa Parks, it organizes the boycott of the buses of Montgomery with the assistance of Pasteur Ralph Abernathy and of Edgar Nixon, directing local of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and creates a system of car–pooling.  This movement lasts 382 days and sees the arrest of Pasteur whose house is attacked with the bomb flamer like that of Ralph Abernathy and four churches, King is victim of violence.  The boycott finishes on December 21st, 1956 and declares illegal the segregation in the buses, restaurants, schools and other places public. The following year, he is elected president de Conférence of the Christian leaders of South (SCLC) and will remain it until its death in 1968. This foundation is a peaceful organization which takes an active part in the Movement for the civic rights by organizing the churches Afro–Americans to lead non–violent protests. At the time of the demonstrations, it uses the nonviolent philosophy of Gandhi. In 1958, the book “the walk of Freedom” enables him to expose its point of view on the segregation then the year according to, it writes “to ` measurement a man”.

In America of the Sixties, King is put under listenings then joined the SNCC and the NAACP carried out by William G. Anderson, a black doctor. He is then challenged and refuses to pay his guarantee. In 1962, it is stopped and condemned to 45 days of prison or 178 dollars of fine. It chooses the prison and remains only 3 days there. In 1963, the protests start again with the boycott of the companies, in April King are again stopped and write celebrates it “Letter of the prison of Birmingham “, a treaty defining its fight against the segregation. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy assures his support and his wife to him Coretta that of Jacqueline Kennedy; he is released one week later.

During year 63, the violence and the attacks of the white towards the blacks multiply, at the end of August takes place Walk on Washington for employment and freedom. In front of 250,000 people, he makes his famous speech known under the name “I cuts has dream” calling with the division of the same rights in justice and peace. He will be then received by John Fitzgerald Kennedy. In 1964, it receives the Nobel Prize of peace after having met Willy Brandt and Pape Paul VI.

Its popularity starts to decrease following the rise of a new leader to the more radical ideas and more violent Malcolm X but it is King who is present during the signature by President Johnson of “Voting Rights Act” which guarantees the civic equality.

It engages then against the war of the Viêt – Nam, fight against the misery which touches the Afro–Americans particularly. It prepares the second walk then but it is assassinated on the balcony of its hotel room in Memphis on April 4th, 1968.   More than 100,000 people will be present at its funeral in Atlanta and this assassination caused many overflows in all the country, confusions, plunderings, fires. 50 years after, in spite of large progress, there remain still inequalities towards the people Afro–Americans, however one observes an evolution in the political circle, one counts of advantage of black elected officials as well as voters starting with the ex president Obama but discrimination with work remains practically the same one as since the death of Martin Luther King and criminal justice remains always sullied by racism. Poverty touches almost the population Afro–American as much as in 1968 some is the age.

Today, its native house in Atlanta and the motel where he was assassinated in Memphis became museums. New evidence concerning the assassin, his reasons, his personality and the fact that it would be or not about a plot should re–appear. Indeed, the lawsuit lasted less than three hours and half, the defendant guilty James Earl Ray having pled. Nétant not of agreement with the theory that there no had been plot, it retracted after having acknowledged and affirming to have undergone pressures to conclude an arrangement.

About The Author

VERONIQUE YANG

See author's posts