M.L.K.'s Murder Discouraged, Then Empowered Us

CLEVELAND - As an elementary school student in the 1980's, I was (along with my classmates) consistently taught and reminded of the altruistic sacrifices that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made for, not only Blacks -- but humans of every race, color and creed.

His tragic murder however, was always the sad ending to it all.

Today will forever be known as one of the pivotal touchstones in American history. On this very date, 41 years ago, King was gunned down about an hour before sunset at the shoddy Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. His alleged assassin, a nobody named James Earl Ray successfully fled the scene undetected and remained at large for an incredible two months after the history-altering crime that he supposedly committed.

He was eventually caught in London, then arrested, convicted, he confessed, then recanted.

Ray died in prison in 1998 while serving a 99-year sentence. To this day, he remains the killer of record, but much speculation has persisted in the four decades since the crime. I'm not here to engage in a whodunit; rather I just want to point out a few things that Dr. King's assassination did to us Americans, especially Blacks.

It scared us like crazy initially.

Yes, King was the pre-eminent force in the iconic Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. His tireless pursuit of justice, equality and racial harmony would carry him from the streets of Montgomery in the mid-'50's, to the Lincoln Memorial for his historic speech at the March on Washington in 1963 and finally, to that fateful final trip in 1968. It was his fiery oratory and courageous determination in the face of blatant racism that made Blacks believe in his message.

Then, he was killed.

King's murder was frustrating and discouraging. After a long period of mourning, we as a people stood up and actually became empowered by the spirit of King's vision. Suddenly, we began to believe that maybe, we controlled our own destinies.

It may have been his true legacy.

Let's remember King today for the gifts he gave us, rather than as the gift (him) that was taken away from us. America still has its warts and flaws, but in a very real sense...maybe it can also be called the promised land.

Remember, I did say maybe.