Martin Luther King Jr Assassination
Today (April 4) marks the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of historical civil rights leader and iconic martyr, Martin Luther King, Jr.
King rose to prominence as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in the mid ‘50s. It was there, inspired by the arrest of Rosa Parks for not giving up her bus seat to a white man, King led blacks in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
King continued to be a figurehead for the civil rights movement throughout the ‘50s and into the ‘60s. The outspoken Atlanta native organized the famous March on Washington, D.C. in 1963 drawing more than 200,000 people.
It was there, 100 years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, King delivered his epic “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial inequlity.
King, an advocate for non-violent resistance, was killed by the bullet from an assassins’ rifle in Memphis, April 4, 1968. He was 39.
Earlier today, Atlanta rap artists Killa Mike aka Mike Bigga reflected on King’s impact via his Twitter account.
@Mike_Bigga “This is a day of remembrance: You can kill a Man but not a Dream. Salute Martin Luther King Jr. Thank u for your sacrifice. April 4”
