Forty-five Years Ago Today Martin Luther King Assassinated ~

During his Poor People's Campaign, King led a protest march in Memphis that swiftly devolved into a riot.  Fifty people were injured, 120 arrested, with 3,000 National Guardsmen called in to enforce a curfew.  King was spirited away by aides.  He spent days in private agonizing over the incident because he felt that he was responsible and had miscalculated.

A few days later he returned to Memphis insisting that Abernathy speak in his stead at a mass meeting scheduled that evening.  Greeted my cheering crowds, King relented and spoke these powerful words for what was to be the last mass meeting of his life:

"Well, I don't know what will happen now.  We've got some difficult days ahead, but it really 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 time, 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 seeeen the Promised Land!

  His face shining with sweat, tears in his eyes he finished, "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 so I'm happy tonight!  I'm not fearing any man!  Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!"

The following day, Thursday, April 4, King was killed on the balcony while he and Abernathy were preparing to leave their apartment for a Southern soul food dinner and an evening mass meeting.

Source:  MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Marshall Frady, Penguin Group, 2002.