Memphis commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on 55th anniversary of his assassination
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - 55 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was gunned down on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Downtown Memphis.
Over half a decade later, Mid-Southerners gathered together to remember his legacy.
The National Civil Rights Museum held its annual commemorative event Tuesday night entitled “The Man. The Movement. The Moment.”
Hundreds remembered that day and the lessons from the civil rights movement can still be applied today.
Dr. King spent many years organizing marches, writing speeches, and trying to change America for the children of today. 55 years ago, he came on an assignment with the same goal.
Civil Rights activist Xerona Clayton recalled a story leading up to King’s departure to Memphis, stating his son didn’t want him to leave, and that he couldn’t stay in the city long due to another engagement, but that didn’t stop him from coming.
“But it didn’t matter how long he was gonna stay. He came here to help the sanitation workers in Memphis,” she says.
While hundreds gathered at the location where he was shot, other speakers also reminded the nation what King stood for and what he believed, not allowing each other to forget the mission he spent his entire life fighting for.
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III reminded attendees that Dr. King is more than a monument.
“Of those who honor Dr. King, we have de-radicalized Dr. King and frozen him on a mall in Washington with three simple words, ‘I have a Dream,’” Dr. Moss said.
But this event wasn’t just a reminder for people to remember King, but rather to remind them that although the dreamer was killed, the dream still lives on.
Local activist Devante Hill was present at the event and encouraged other activists to remember what Dr. King stood for.
“It’s so important every single year that we find ourselves back in this place to remember that the dream was never killed, they were able to assassinate the dreamer,” Hill said. “And even when he dropped the torch from his hand, a lot of us were able to pick it back up... it’s time for young Black leaders, especially in Memphis, and especially across the state of Tennessee, for us to pick up that mantle. For us to pick up the mantle and push the narrative and moving the needle forward.”
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