MLK’s Last Words

At 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. We are not sure of who was involved in killing him but why he died is not much a secret. As a civil rights leader and man of nonviolent action he was a threat to many in the USA. This was especially true in the last year of his life where he broke his silence about the war in Vietnam. When he was killed he was planning a Poor People’s campaign on Washington D.C.

The night before he died he was very tired and depressed so he sent the rest of his team off to speak at a rally for the striking garbage workers.

However, when his associates got to the rally it was clear that the people wanted to hear Martin. He was called and came to the rally.

Speaking without any notes or preparation he gave one of the greatest speeches of his life, anticipating his death the next day. Here are some quotes from that speech courtesy of the Writer’s Almanac edited by Garrison Keillor. His last words, the night before his assassination, certainly speak to us today.

He said: “The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. That’s a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. … Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is always the same: ‘We want to be free.’”

And …
“We’ve got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh’s court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that’s the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.”

And …
“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.”

And …
“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!”

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