Forty Years Remembrance of Dr. King's Assassination 1968 - 2008

Today is truly a day to reflect and be grateful for the freedoms that we take for granted right now.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the major leaders in the American Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee while lending support to a sanitation workers' strike.

I listened to people talk about where they were and their reaction to the news of King's assassination. I was almost five years old, and I don't remember much. I will ask my mother what she remembered on that day, especially since it was the day before my younger brother's birthday. It was great to hear King's speeches again today on the radio and TV. It reinforces my hope for my people to understand that although we have came far, we have fallen short, and still have much to do. Seeing the state that the city of Detroit is in with the social issues, blight, depressing economics, and political scandals, I would not want him to see us right now because I think he would break down and cry.

Several years ago, one of my brothers prepared a CD of King's Washington DC speech for my daughter as a birthday gift. It was beautifully put together with the appropriate background music. When I first heard it, tears came to my eyes. She loved it and still plays it every few months. I am going to ask her to play it for me today.