"“There is no noise as powerful as the sound of marching feet of a determined people.”
- MLK
Truly an incredible day.
Thank you those who marched and rallied, and thank you to those who organized these events around the country. I know how hard you’re working.
My rally in #Cincinnati was packed with thousands, and we marched from Music Hall to City Hall"
- David Pepper
https://davidpepper.substack.com/p/marching-feet-of-a-determined-people
Early evening, April four
A shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride
--U2
Today is the 57th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King in Memphis. He was in town to rally support for striking sanitation workers. The evening before, MLK gave his "I've been to the Mountaintop" speech at the Church of God in Christ Headquarters before a crowd of two thousand.
Excerpt plays in the post (3:28).
One thing that isn't discussed very often is the fallout from the assassination at the Lorraine Hotel. A good number of songs were written in that same building over the years and released on Stax.
After Rev. Dr. King perished on a balcony, the days of songwriters and musicians creating at the hotel where they stayed ended as well.
We must remember this was an attack on an entire culture, and not just an attempt to extinguish a single figure in the Civil Rights Movement.
Today In Labor History April 4, 1968: James Earl Ray assassinated Martin Luther King at the Lorraine Hotel, Memphis, Tennessee. King was in Memphis to support the sanitation workers’ strike that had started in February, 1968, for better working conditions and higher pay. The strike began 2 weeks after 2 workers were crushed to death when their truck malfunctioned, intensifying the already high level of frustration and anger over working conditions and safety. King led a protest march on March 28. Over 20,000 kids cut class to join the demonstration. Some members of the march began smashing downtown windows and looting. The cops intervened with mace, tear gas, clubs and live gunfire, killing 16-year-old Larry Paine, who had his hands in the air when he was shot. On April 3, one day before his assassination, King gave his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.
