On this edition of Your Call, we examine the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 50 years after his assassination. What parts of his legacy have faded or been sanitized since his death?
On April 4, 1968, King was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers’ strike. At 6:01 pm that night, he was shot and killed. In the months before his assassination, he advocated for the poor and an end to the Vietnam war. We’ll mark the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination by discussing his fight for justice. What were King’s beliefs in April of 1968? And how can we meet him there, 50 years later?
Guests:
Ronald Sundstrom, professor of Philosophy and African American Studies at the University of San Francisco
Candice Harrison, historian and director of the African American Studies program at the University of San Francisco
Web Resources:
Associated Press: Teens begin Mississippi-to-Memphis march in honor of King
Huffington Post: Bernice King Believes It’s ‘Critical’ To Heed Martin Luther King’s Lessons Today
Guardian US: Protesters arrested outside Memphis city jail ahead of Martin Luther King anniversary
Stanford University King Encyclopedia: Letter from Birmingham Jail