Age 13, dressed for church, waiting for Mama to get ready for our departure, I watched TV to pass the time and listened to a replayed snippet of Dr. King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop," speech (his last one) thinking he must have known his time here was almost over when his emotional, prophetic words of having been to the mountaintop and seen The Promised Land resounded in my ears. This was Sunday, April 7, 1968, three days after Dr. King was murdered by assassin's bullets fueled by fear, hatred, and unwillingness to acknowledge the rights of all Americans according to the Declaration of Independence, had "all" actually meant all in the following passage:
Dr. King's assassination was just too much for a 13-year-old to comprehend.
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.— United States Declaration of Independence, 1776
Dr. King's assassination was just too much for a 13-year-old to comprehend.
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I think that was probably the most important, influential and moving speech of the C20th......................Could MLK have ever imagined there would be a black president 40 years later?
ReplyDeleteHi Susie,
ReplyDeleteYes, it was and still is a pretty moving speech.
I bet his dream did include a Black president.
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