Clarion Defender_1968-04 Special Memorial Edition

CLARION OfFENDER ~OLICE GUARDING DR. KING'S TOMB ATLANTA, April 10, 1968. Uniformed police stood watch today at the tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His funeral yesterday brought outpour– ings of mourners and tributes rarely matched in the nation's history. Mourners trickled into South View Cemetery for a look at the crypt even after darkness fell. Inscribed on the Georgia marble are the words of an old slave song often quoted by King: "Free at Last, Free at Last; Thank God Almighty, I'm Free at Last." An official said the guards were posted a~ a precaution. There have been no hints of attempts to molest the grave. PLEA MADE "Let us see to it that we do not dis– honor his name by trying to solve our problems through rioting in the streets," urged Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, retired president of More– house College, King's alma mater, where outdoor services were held. "But let us see to it also that the conditions that cause riots are promptly re– moved," said Mays. "Let black and white alike search their hearts; and if there be any pre– judice in our hearts against any racial or ethnic group, let us exterminate it." Mays said the American people, includ– ing Memphis officials, are in part responsible for the assassination. Marching has been a big part of King's life. So in death, there was a final march. His wreath-shrouded coffin traveled more than four miles over Atlanta streets in a faded green farm wagon drawn by two brown mules -– symbolic of the poor whose cause he had ~aken up. Prominent names at a memorial service in Ebenezer, where King was co-pastor with his father, included Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, representing President Johnson. The vice president got up to move to the front pew where King's widow sat with her four children and there he offered condolences. Other notables at the service included Mrs. John F. Kennedy, who like Mrs. King was widowed by an assassin's bullet; Sens. Robert F. Kennedy of New York and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts; Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy of Minnesota; former Vice President Richard M. Nixon, Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York; Gov. George Romney of Michigan, and former Gov. Carl E. Sanders of Georgia. "Earth to earth, · ashes to ashes and dust to dust," came the familiar ritual as the Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy, King's close associate and now his successor, performed the final symbolic rite of internment. Abernathy succeeds King as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. F-REE AT LAST I By Golden Harrison I'm sure that we all know what a great man Martin Luther King was. He was somebody magnificent with a power so strong that he captivated many people. It is very confusing to understand why anyone would want to kill this gentle, loveable and great man. Martin Luther not only worked for the equal rights of the Negroes, but for the Whites as well. He taught everyone to love one another and not to hate, and to try to understand todays society. It is believed by many people and I myself that most of the riots, such as the one at Jefferson High School, are not revenge over Martin Luther King's death, but out of pleasure to start trouble. It seems that way very easily because of Martin's belief in non– violence. Martin Luther King was loved ali over, and was greatly believed in, and widely trusted. He tried his best to help all people, and to be able to stand on their own two feet with pride. We should keep his life as an example for all people" in the future, for we shall overcome! ~~~~;~~;~;l:~~~~~<~[!f:C<1D'!4~f~W.X;~:~•n•-:-<~.;;r;~Y_.~~,~~~._,.l~-!iWMI\! ! 1 t ", I • i I I RESERVE YOUR DEFENDER NOW. SUBSCRIBE I ~ TODAY. BE SURE AND READ THE CLARION ~ ~ DEFENDER'S NATIONAL WRITERS ON DR. MARTIN Q i LUTHER KING, JR. -- Roy Wilkins of NAACP; I ~ Whitney Young, National Urban League; ~ ~ Jackie Robinson; Alfred Duckett; Benjamin t• May; Lee Ivory and Harry Fleischman. I I I ~~ ~J i,~;:c<~>::c<,>.'M!c:~::+:!~~-~,;;:~~~;~;:::~::~:.;:~~~•xx•:::<::~-:~-r:•:-•-:<:o~:•~~~~·•x\:~!«•~r~!»''"':•~:~-.;::~~ At the church service, King's own recorded voice was heard by the packed crowd, including Black Power leader Stokely Carmichael, who re– jected King's philosophy of non-violence after the 1966 Mississippi march. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, .JR. lived and died in the cause of reason. He was a man of non-violence and his cause was just. Dr. King's memo– ry will surely live on in the hearts of men of good will everywhere. A tape recorder filled the hushed sanctuary with the vibrant, familiar oratory: "We all think about it and every now and then I think about my own death ~and I think about my own funeral .•. ! don't want a long funeral ... " The sound of weeping filled the church where King had preached that sermon Feb. 4 1968. King's recorded voice said he didn't want mentioned his Nobel Peace Prize and other honors. "I want you to say that day that I tried to be right ... And I want you to say that I tried to live and serve humanity. · "Yes, if you want to, say that I was a drum major. Say that I was · a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righte.ousness. "And all of the other shallow things will not matter." WWOOLVIORTH'S Lloyd Center - Downtown - Eastport