Community Honors the Life and Work of Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights Movement

Photojournalism by Dr Frank Gerratana. Cover photo by Dr Frank Gerratana. Article staff report.

On Saturday, community members and local leaders gathered under a clear spring sky to honor the life and work of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights Movement.

The annual event has been held in the city for decades to commemorate the anniversary of the 1968 assassination of the iconic civil rights leader and uphold the message of the Civil Rights Movement.

The event brought together a diverse cross-section of the city. Clergy members, elected officials, and students stood side-by-side at the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Park at the corner of Stanley and Smalley Streets.

Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) spoke on behalf of the city at the event.

The Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated while he was in Memphis to support union sanitation workers who were striking for dignity and better wages and working conditions.

At the time, Rev Dr King was organizing the “Poor People’s Campaign,” demonstration in Washington DC to press for the federal government to approve a visionary set of goals for economic equity for all.