Posts Tagged ‘Martin Luther King Jr.’
New Light from Uncle Lou
I really like getting e-mail messages from Uncle Lou. He has nine decades under his belt and with deteriorating vision his messages sometimes seem like code. The message below came this past Saturday. Although there are no photos with this post, I think Uncle Lou’s writing provides more insight and texture than any of my photos could.
Dear Family:
Every few yeas I relate this Martin Luther King experienceto the family.. it’s been a while so …..
About 20 of us Presbyterian ministers were in Memphis in 1968 during the two weeks just before Dr. King was assassinated.. for sutdying the idea of planting new city churches.
It was duriong the height of the garbage strike.. garbage piled high on every street. Racial tension was high. Some of us ministers were able to get intouch with the striker leadelrs.. we learned about the mass rallie and 4 or 5 of us went to one. thousands there.. what energy and tension and enthusiasm !! It was in a huge place called “The Temple”. And you’ve never hear such a choir ! hundreds in it.. I’m sure you’ve African American choirs.. but you’ve never heard one like this one on that night. WOW !
We wre the only caucasians thee and they had us sit on the plaform.. RalphAbernathy.. Roy Wilkins.. I sat and t alked with Philip Randolph, President of Pullman Porters union all evening. I’ve always treasured that. Dr. King was not there.. at least not in evidence. They took up the collection in garbage cans.
Just a couple of days after we got back to Louisville, Dr. King was kiled. Ruth and I marched in a sumbolic funeral procession hee inLouisville at the same time as the one in Atlanta. We got real flack fromsome of the congregation !
It always brings to mind the racial tension here.. Father Maloney and I did the evening shift on the phone “hot lines” at the old YMCA. We lost some membes because I agreed to swap pulpits for one Sundah with an African-American church in the west end.
Wonderful memories !.
Enjoy the day. It is a holiday.
Father (and other titles) Lou