Many people in America see and recognize Martin Luther King Jr. as a national hero who bridged the gap between White America and Black America. But, he did so much more for all races around the world who aspired to have a life in the United States.
By Ernie Suggs
In considering the life of Martin Luther King Jr., everyone talks about April 4, but no one talks about April 4, 1968.
Two days, actually. One year apart. April 4, 1968, when a bullet took him down. April 4, 1967, when he made one of his most controversial speeches.
The 365 days between would be the most trying of King’s life. The path from Selma to Montgomery had been clear and unambiguous. But the road ahead was fraught and painful. His movement was splintering. New voices mocked his creed of nonviolence. He couldn’t sleep and was suffering from depression and exhaustion.
In that 1967 speech he departed from the core mission of the civil rights movement and set himself on the path toward a more radical global perspective: he would also speak out against the war and the crippling poverty he saw across the nation.
Those 365 days would lead him to Memphis.