By Nii B. Andrews
Exactly 50 years ago outside Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel, tragedy struck, a murder occurred; a categorical non-violent resistor was felled by uncouth and barbaric violence.
But let nobody turn you around. Let no one sell you any wooden eggs. Let us stick to the facts, only the facts.
The prevalent mood in the US then and even possibly now was as reflected in the following quotes;
1)
“Amid the tumult of the 1960s, King, outspoken against the Vietnam war, was one of the most hated men in America and his life was in constant danger.
His house was bombed, his followers were killed, his name was trashed by newspaper editorials and his phones were tapped by J Edgar Hoover’s FBI.
His two-thirds disapproval rating in a 1966 Gallup poll sits at odds with today’s “I have a dream” sanctification.” – DAVID SMITH
2)
“There are those who think he was anticipating the next day.
He had just come from a plane which had been emptied because of the threat of the plane being hit by a terrorist attack.
He was aware but he felt that ‘a coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once’.
He refused to be afraid because of the risk of ambush and sabotage; he refused to stop what he was doing out of fear because he did it out of courage.” – REV. JESSE JACKSON.
3)
“That man is dead. They killed him. They killed my man.” – REV JAMES NETTERS.
4)
“As wonderful as the National Civil Rights Museum has been…..you are also implicitly being taught: don’t do that because that’s what happens to you.
So there’s some shame there in this as well around both not speaking out but also the idea that, if you do speak out, you may be in danger.” – ZANDRIA ROBINSON.
It is all so so sad; so much death around us and still we keep planning for yet more killing and destruction.
My head is bowed; my heart is heavy with woe; it has been a difficult week.
“We must learn to live together as brothers or we shall perish together as fools”.
