This Day in History: The Assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Moments before the fatal shot rang out at 6:01 PM on that tragic day, April 4, 1968; Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had been laughing and joking with my father, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., and his other friends and colleagues as they prepared for dinner at Reverend Billy Kyles’ home. My father says every time he goes to Memphis is like “pulling the scab off the womb. The sore is still raw.” 

My father was the youngest member of Rev. King’s executive staff in the 1960s and is one of the last living witnesses to King’s assassination. The Nobel prize recipient was just 39 years old when he was killed. Rev. King has now been dead longer than he lived. His murder traumatized the country and the world. But it also lit a fire under my father, and peace seeking clergy, activists, and God-fearing people around the world.

I asked my father what attracted him to Rev. King‘s message. He said ministers were focused on personal salvation, but King was focused on personal and social salvation. King had a way forward, forging a path out of slavery, segregation, and internal apartheid. He moved our nation higher towards reconciliation amongst all races and people. No more ‘back of the bus’, no more segregated cemeteries.

I have been inspired by the five books Rev. King authored. I would ask that you take the challenge to read Reverend Kings books. Ask your parents and grandparents about what life was like before King. Let’s commemorate this date in history and set it aside as a time to reflect and revere the man and the dream.

Today, I am honored to be at the national Baptist convention to commemorate the life of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; with Rev. Kevin Cosby at Saint Stephen Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky; along with Rev. Dr. Frederick Hayes. Together, let’s strive towards a more perfect union. Together, we will reach the promised land.