United States Come Together on MLK 50: A day to remember
April 16, 2018
Last week thousands gathered in Memphis Tennessee to remember and commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King on the 50th anniversary of his shooting at the Lorraine Motel.
The day consisted of long Tributes from the MLK50 Main Stage in the Museum Courtyard by people who were well acquainted with MLK along with people who were influenced by his actions on a personal level.
The “Day of Remembrance” organized by the National Civil Rights Museum attracted coverage from a number of news broadcasters, including CBS, ABC, NBC. CNN. NPR. Fox, Al Jazeera. The BBC and its Canadian counterpart. Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Little Rock, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Tokyo, Madrid.
Reverend William Barber was one of the many speakers of the grand event, and made a note that while it will always be important to remember people like MLK who fought for the equality of those discriminated against, the fight isn’t over.
“We will not settle for less than God’s justice,” Barber said. “We cannot keep having these celebrations and commemorations, and remembering what was done then and abdicating our responsibility to do what needs to be done now.”
Students even voiced their opinion on the day and its importance
“It’s extremely important to celebrate people like Martin Luther King Jr because without the efforts and work of activists such as King, America would not be the way it is today,” senior Madeline Simmons said. “It would be futile if we forgot where we came from because we wouldn’t be able to make progress looking forward.”
The day’s events passed, and as people filed in and out of the museum, many people took to the web to share their thoughts on the day. Leta McCullough Seletzky specifically wrote an essay that was posted on the Washington Post about how the racism and discrimination still affects her today.
“I ran from Memphis. But I can’t escape how it felt to grow up black there.” Seletzky told Commercial that as a child in Memphis, “I moved in the shadow of Jim Crow’s ragged, outstretched wings.”