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 April 4th will mark the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III will lead a march to the hotel to commemorate this historical event. I will take time on Friday to reflect on how far the world has come in these 40 years and how much will still need to strive for both globally and in America. For this edition of Thursday Thirteen I will share some little known facts about Dr. King. 1. Dr. King was a Republican - Most people would assume that because Dr. King was black, and fought for the rights of the underprivileged, that he would naturally be a Democrat. But the truth is that by many accounts, Dr. King was a Republican, and more conservative in his views. 2. Dr. King was a dedicated Fraternity man – He was a member of Sigma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. as the number 5 of his line in spring of '52. 3. He changed his name from Michael to Martin, but there is no evidence that he changed it legally. 4. In 1964, Dr. King became the first black American to be honored as Time magazine's Man of the Year. 5. King's efforts were not limited to securing civil rights; he also spoke out vehemently against poverty and the Vietnam War. 6. Besides his doctoral degree from Boston University, Dr. King was awarded 20 honorary doctoral degrees, from numerous colleges. 7. Dr. King became an ordained minister in 1948 at the age of nineteen. 9. He entered Morehouse College at 15 and in 1948 he graduated with a B.A. degree in Sociology. 10. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover waged a bitter war of surveillance and harassment, declaring him "the most dangerous man in America. 12. The Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated became a civil rights museum in 1991. 13. Mrs. Coretta Scott King spoke at the funeral of her husband, eloquently stating, "The day that Negro people and others in bondage are truly free, on the day `want' is abolished, on the day `wars' are no more, on that day, I know my husband will rest in a long-deserved peace." |
Post- Mortem
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*~Paraphrasing Ali Velshi~ The most powerful person in America is not
Donald J. Trump, it's you.*
These are tough times for progressives and democrat...
1 week ago
24 comments:
Not too long ago, I read about MLK Jr. changing his first name. I just assumed that he was named after the religious leader Martin Luther.
J. Edgar Hoover was an SOB plain and simple. It's scary to think that he was in power for nearly 50 years.
Malcolm,
I thought Martin Luther King's father name was MLK, hence the Jr. Yeah J. Edgar Hoover was scary until he put on his dress, pumps, and lipstick. Come to think of it that would have been scary TOO!
I am impressed. I learned something.
Years ago when the Metropolitan Opera toured in Atlanta, my mother and I had orchestra level seats right behind Mrs. King. She was always beautifully dressed and extremely gracious. She did not know us, but always spoke (we would attend the same performances every night for a week).
She also had the most handsome, distinguished escorts. Recently my mother and I started arguing over that. She said they were just gentlemen escorts. I made the comment that Mrs. King was a beautiful woman and still young. What was wrong with a hot date or two. It did not go over well. But - the men she went out with - my gosh they were good looking!
SJR
The Pink Flamingo
http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog
Some really interesting facts there. Very informative. Well done.
I didn't know the M was originally for Michael! I also love thinking of the carefully spoken Dr. King as a frat boy. It's funny, but you never think of Dr. King having many laughs, do you? I hope he did. He deserved joy. (Thanks for visiting my TT)
Thank you for a very interesting TT. It's odd to think that Dr King supported the political party that opposed anti-lynching laws.
He was a Republican? Wow, I did not know that and find that odd.
I agree with The Pink Flamingo - I always thought that Mrs. King was elegant and had a presence of her own.
Smiles,
Holly
http://theabundanceplace.com
This is such a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing all of this information. So much is lost in the nattering about his promiscuity or whatever else. He was a truly beautiful person - amazing.
I worked with a client who was in the crowd at the assassination. I don't think he will ever get over it. Going from the elation of seeing THE MAN to seeing him murdered.... It changed his whole life.
Happy TT!
PS. I owe you a bee email - I'll do it! :)
It's funny I never thought about his political affiliation before this post. I guess I assumed he stood outside and above all of that. Interesting. Thanks.
I enjoy it when people are so surprised by speculation that Dr. King was a Republican. So many civil rights leaders are preachers and, even though they are characterized as left-wing by most of the media, they are actually fairly conservative in many ways.
What a beautiful post. I love the video.
Very interesting facts. I remember when he was shot. We had gone to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. and because of the looting they had to declare marshal law.
SJ Reidhead, I don't know if Mrs. King ever dated, I never heard if she did. She was a very elegant and refined woman and even after all she went through you never heard about her making derogatory statements. Even when they tried to drag her husband's name through the mud she maintained her dignity. Thanks for sharing your story.
anthonynorth, Thanks for visiting.
The Gal Herself, I found it very interesting that he had actually stood online to join a fraternity. I have seen pictures of him smiling and enjoying himself and his family.
Nicholas, What people tend to forget is that because Lincoln was a Republican, many African Americans were Republicans for much of the 20th century.
Holly, See my comments to Nicholas. I agree that Mrs. King had a style and presence all his own.
On a limb with Claudia,
SandyCarlson, Wow! I cannot imagine being there at Dr. King's final moments. That must have been devastating for your friend.
Jay, I am with you. I am not at all surprised about his political affiliation. Although he was a very young man I can imagine his as being a conservative.
susiej, Thanks for visiting. I am glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for stopping by.
Lazy Daisy, I think we all remember where we were, sort of like we can all recall where we were when we lost President Kennedy.
Wonderful post.
Such a powerful and moving speach. Thanks for sharing those interesting facts!
Happy TT!!
That's really interesting. I didn't know he'd changed his name. That's neat!
i had no idea he was republican
Dr. King died before I was born and it wasn't until a couple of years ago, when my children and I read his "I have a dream..." speech in it's entirety, that I realized what a vision this man had, what a great man he truly was, and what a loss this country suffered with his death.
Nice way to remember him, with this TT.
King was a great man because he spoke one of the ultimate truths in life - we are ALL worthy of respect.
Great list, thanks for posting these. Happy TT!
I just got done telling my Husband I don't know enough about MLK. Great list!
Wow! I learned a lot from this post.
Wow...I really learned a lot about MLK from that post! I also thought he was named after Martin Luther, but was there no Martin Luther Sr? Interesting!
great list! I didn't know all of those facts. Especially about the name change.
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