12 forgotten facts about the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination
By The Root
on April 04, 2013 at 11:15 AM
updated April 04, 2013 at 11:16 AM
... King was assassinated in Memphis where ... he was preparing for a march in support of striking sanitation workers. The deaths of garbage collectors Echol Cole and Robert Walker, who were crushed by a malfunctioning truck, precipitated that strike. In addition to recognition of their union, the workers were demanding improved safety standards to avoid similar tragedies ...
... Benjamin Mays, president of King's alma mater, Morehouse College, delivered the eulogy at his funeral on April 9. King "would probably say that 'If death had to come, I am sure there was no greater cause to die for than fighting to get a just wage for garbage collectors,' " he said ...
The Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike that brought King to the city went on after his death and was ultimately successful. On April 8, Coretta Scott King, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and union leaders led an estimated 42,000 people through the streets of Memphis to draw attention to the union's requests. On April 16, negotiators finally reached a deal that meant the city recognized the union and workers were guaranteed a better wage ...
During King's funeral, mourners heard a recording of the last sermon King delivered in his church. In it, he spoke of how he hoped to be remembered after his death, saying, "I'd like someone to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. . . . I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. . . . And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity."
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2013/04/12_forgotten_facts_about_the_m.html
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