Martin Luther King, Jr. "Make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord.' Play it real pretty, Martin Luther King, Jr. is being honored this Sunday, January 16, by the West Las Vegas Library, as part of Peace Week 2011. Martin Lither King’s life will be shared to the public in this free program.
For more information, please call 702-507-3989 or Cassandra Lewis at 702-499-4693.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Las Vegas Cultural Events Examiner is presenting this multi-part series, which began on January 2. This series continues now with Part Five: April 4, 1968 - The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was visiting Memphis, Tennessee to show support of the black sanitary public works employees who were being represented by AFSCME Local 1733. The workers, who had been striking since February 11, 1968, were seeking better treatment and higher wages.
King was addressing an enthusiastic crowd at Mason Temple, on April 3, where he delivered his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.
“We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 3, 1968
While in Memphis, King was staying at the Lorrain Motel in room 306. Among King’s entourage who were accompanying him was his close friend and colleague, Reverend Ralph Abernathy. On April, 4, 1968, King, Abernathy, Jesse Jackson and musician Ben Branch were all standing on the balcony of the motel. The men were preparing to go out for dinner that evening with Memphis minister Billy Kyles.
Ben Branch was going to perform that evening, and according to Jackson, the last words that King spoke were: “Ben, make sure you play ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’…Play it real pretty.”
At 6:01 p.m., a shot was fired striking King in the right cheek, traveling down his spinal cord and lodging into his shoulder. King fell to the ground and Abernathy, who was in the room putting on cologne, came running back outside.
King was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital where he underwent emergency chest surgery, however, at 7:05 p.m., King was pronounced dead. He was 39 years old.
News of the assassination led to riots that broke out in over 100 cities across the nation, including Baltimore, Chicago, Kentucky, and Washington, DC. Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy was on his way to a rally in Indianapolis when he heard of King’s assassination. He gave a short speech to his supporters and encouraged them to continue King’s non-violence ideals.
President Johnson declared April 7 a national day of mourning, but did not attend King’s funeral as there were fears that his presence might provoke protests. Instead, Vice-President Hubert Humphrey went to the funeral on behalf of the President.
The funeral was held in King’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, on April 9, 1968.
At the request of his widow Coretta Scott King, his last sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, “Drum Major”, recorded on February 4, 1968, was played at the funeral.
It was in this sermon where King requested that at his funeral no mention of any awards or honors of his be made, instead, speak about how he tried to “feed the hungry”, “clothe the naked”, and “love and serve humanity”. The hymn, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”, was sang by his friend Mahalia Jackson.
The strike of the Memphis sanitation workers was finally settled on April 12, 1968, just eight days after the assassination of Martin Luther King.
