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In April 1968, Martin Luther King was preparing his Poor People’s Campaign of civil disobedience to be mounted in Washington, DC later that year. He agreed, however, to make a trip to Memphis to support black sanitation workers striking in order to gain union recognition by the city. Some saw in King’s last public speech a premonition of death. In it, King affirmed that "[l]ike 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." The next day he was killed by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of his motel room. Following news of King’s murder, racial violence erupts in 110 cities nationwide. |
