Community Chat

[Brisky]

I was to young to remember him when he was living.
I have listened to his speeches and read up on him.
Do any of you remember when he died? What were you doing when you heard the news?

[Brisky]

No Bash Zone please.

[NicksmomESQ]

  I was around 11 when he died. I remember my mom waking me up to tell me.I stayed home from school that day & watched the coverage on tv. Mom kept crying & hugging me saying that the country lost a great leader who was trying to make it a better place for everybody.

  MLK was a unique leader. He was completely non violent.He wanted equality for all. He was an imperfect man with a perfect message.He was one of a kind!!

  His message is as important today as it was in the 1960’s.The world needs more love & less hate.After all we are more alike then we are different!!

[cherry]

I do recall the event. I don't recall the moment I heard it. It was a very emotional and terrible time. I was pretty young when it occurred

All I really recall, about the reporting of it, had to do with a motel. I am not sure if  that is where Rev King died ,or he was shot , or both? It has been so long ago. I do recall they were on location, at this motel for a lot of the reporting.

That era ,was such a bad time, for our nation. We lost 3 leaders in a short time. I always wonder ,if they would have lived, what direction our nation would have taken? Perhaps ,we would have been spared a lot of pain, if these men could have lived to lead us?

[deepwaterdotter]

As timely today as the day he penned it:  

"Never forget that everything that Hitler did in Germany was legal!" - from Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963

[Brisky]

Potent words...

[Vivian]

I vividly remember Dr. King. My father went to the march on Washington. It was amazing to hear MLK speak and to give hope to those people who thought they had none. His assassination was crushing. I think that many today don’t realize what life was like for a significant percentage of our population before Dr King. I distinctly remember driving with my husband, bringing back his father’s car, from south Florida to upstate NY in 1967. We saw billboards accusing MLK of attending Communist meetings. A picture showed Dr. King sitting on a folding chair that could have been anywhere. I was shocked and will never forget that.

[Brisky]

I do know one fun fact. He paid Julia Roberts parents hospital bill when she was born. They were neighbors

[jeanlake]

I was a kid just out of elementary school. My mom died of cancer around that time. Sad but enlightening decade. So many assassinations in the 60s. Social change, war, landing on the moon, great music. A  decade of change. I was on the floor in the livingroom watching Dr. King's funeral procession, tears running down my cheeks. Dad ordered me to turn the TV off and called me a bleeding heart liberal. I later asked my history teacher what that term meant. Turned off TV and went to my bedroom and cried for me, our country and my racist dad. (dad was WW2 vet - PTSD - alcoholic - widower raising 3 children) One of my studies in college was Sociology to try to understand people like my dad -- otherwise good people who were so unkind about social issues. My dad's deathbed confession was to ask forgiveness for his racism. He told family, pastor, hospital chaplain and anyone who would listen that he had been so wrong. I was in his hospice room when he apologized to an orderly in his 20s for his unkind attitudes towards his race. Dad cried. The young man didn't say a word but walked over and hugged dad. I mouthed the words, "I'm sorry." The orderly patted my shoulder and smiled. Shortly before dad's terminal illness got worse, he sold his home to a minority family. Gave them nice furniture, all appliances and expensive tools and lawn equipment. He discounted the price of his home so they could qualify for a loan. I do want to give my dad credit for his eventual heart and attitude change.

Dr. King was an exceptional man who's influence lives on.       

[cherry]

Martin Luther King Jr. was a powerful voice for compassion. He was a bold example of loving-kindness in action. ... MLK once said: “You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”Jan 15, 2018