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On Thursday, April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. ... Martin Luther King Jr. ... In Memphis, Kings first march with striking garbage men had degenerated into riot when young black radicals--not, as in the glory days, angry state troopers--broke Kings nonviolent ranks. ... As he lay dying, the popular beatification was already underway: Martin Luther King Jr. ... "
Now, 30 years after his assassination, that legend is under fresh assault--from Kings own family and many of his aging lieutenants. ... They believe James Earl Ray, Kings convicted assassin, is innocent and that history has forgotten the real Martin Luther King. ... "The economic movement was why he was killed, frankly," Martin Luther King III told NEWSWEEK. ... "RFK was considering him as a vice presidential candidate," says Dexter, Kings third child. ... "
So who was the real Martin Luther King Jr. ... Martin Luther King Jr. ... For many African-Americans, however, the sanitizing of Kings legacy, and suspicions about a plot to kill him, are yet another example of how larger forces--including the government that so long enslaved them-hijack their history and conspire against them. In a strange way, the war over Kings legacy is a sepia-toned O. ...
The Kings, a family still struggling to find its footing personally and politically, are understandably attracted to the grander theories about Kings life and death. ... Nixon, another Montgomery pastor, wanted to host a boycott meeting at Kings Dexter Avenue Baptist Church--not because of King but because the church was closest to downtown. ... On the streets, the black-power movement thought Kings philosophy of nonviolence was out of date. ... "
Look at this from the eyes of Kings family. ... ("Martin would give you anything, but he liked nice things," says one King hand. ... (David Longstreath/AP)
The fight over Kings legacy resonates beyond the small circles of family and historians.
Approximate Word count = 2012
Approximate Pages = 8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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