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Community News
White House And Political News
After Decades Of Silence, Woman Talks About Witnessing Dr. King’s Assassination
St. John Progressive Missionary Baptist Church To Host Community Day
And Ministry Expo
PASTOR BART AND FIRST LADY VANESSA BANKS
WANDA MILES, RN, BSN, CAPN ...Chairperson
After decades of silence, a woman who witnessed the as- sassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is finally speaking out. Rhonda James, was 8 years old when she and her 11-year-old brother watched Dr. King get gunned down at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968.
They kept the story private be- cause their parents wanted them to have a “normal” lives. James, who is now a grand- mother, had never spoken pub- licly about the “traumatic experience” until an interview with Memphis station Action 5 News last month, where she re- turned to the motel for the first time since Dr. King was killed.
“It’s a special thing for me. It’s something that has been secretly tucked,” she told the outlet.
At the time, Dr. King was in Memphis to support the 1968 sanitation workers strike. James’ father, saxophonist Ben Branch, was supposed to play King’s favorite gospel song, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” at a rally later that night.
“We knew he was going to play Precious Lord for Dr. King that night,” she recalled. “He said, ‘You guys want to go with me?’ We said, ‘Yeah!'”
James and her brother went to soundcheck, and afterwards, Branch and the children fol- lowed King back to the Lorraine Motel. The children sat in the backseat of their grandmother’s car looking up at King.
“They went upstairs and as they went upstairs, we were sit- ting in the car, me and my brother, we were just looking. We were excited,” recalled
Rhonda James was 8 years old when she witnessed Dr. King’s assassination.
The 7th-Year event is set for Saturday, April 21st
Pastor Bartholomew Banks, Sr., and St. John Pro- gressive Missionary Baptist Church will be hosting a Com- munity Day and Ministry Expo on Saturday, April 21st from 10a.m.to2p.m.Theevent will be held at the church lo- cated at 2504 East Chipco Street.
The Event Coordinator, Wanda Miles, noted, “This will mark the 7th year that St. John hosts our Community Day event. It is about empow- ering people with information to improve their well-being. We are excited to once again bring these resources to the East Tampa community.”
The event features a Com- munity Resource Fair that brings together a variety of or- ganizations with a wealth of information on services for health, education, career de- velopment, personal finance and more.
Some of the organizations scheduled to attend include: Moffitt Cancer Center, Sisters Network Tampa Bay, Step Up For Students, Career Source Tampa Bay, Metro Health, One Church One Child of Florida, and Tampa General Hospital. There will also be
free health screenings.
The event also includes im-
portant information that everyone needs to know con- cerning arthritis issues pre- sented by Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Kevin Scott.
This workshop begins at 10:30 a. m. There will also be workshops on Identity Theft and Information on Primary Health Care which begin at 11 a. m. and 12:30 p. m., respec- tively.
Generation NEXT will also hosts workshops relevant to children, teens, and young adults.
The Ministry Expo will showcase the ministries at St. John Progressive for those looking to put their ministry in action. Local churches are also invited to attend as the Min- istry Expo can provide oppor- tunities to partner on community services.
There will be giveaways and prize drawings throughout the day. Complimentary lunch is also included.
For more information, please e-mail the event coordi- nator at community- day2504@gmail.com, or you can also visit the church’s web- site for event updates at www.sjpmbc.org or on Face- book at St. John Progressive Missionary Baptist Church.
James.
From what she remembers, Dr. King yelled down to her fa- ther that he wanted him to “play Precious Lord like you’ve never played it before. Play it real pretty.”
The words would end up being his last, as Dr. King was struck in the neck by a bullet as he stood on the motel’s balcony. The 39-year-old civil rights leader was dead within an hour. Amid the commotion, James meanwhile, and her brother, were told to stay in the car for six hours, but their father came to check on them repeatedly. The National Guard had to take them home, “because the streets were shut down and garbage was everywhere.”
“But you just imagine going through every stop point, and we had to stop and check in with those police to let them know
where my father was taking us,” said James.
After the assassination, James and her brother stayed home from school two days. When they returned, James re- calls crying “like a baby.”
For about 15 years after the assassination, James said that she cried whenever she heard the song “Take My Hand Pre- cious Lord.”
In hindsight, James is “grateful” that her parents kept her and her brother’s names out of the public. “I had a chance to live my life,” she said. “I’ve had a chance to do what I need to do in life.”
There is no official record of the children being at the scene, although her father, who died in 1987, was snapped in a photo outside of the motel, and has been reported as one of the last people to speak with King.
Compton Mayor Withdraws From Congressional Bid Due To Pregnancy
Last week clueless candidate for the 44th congressional dis- trict, Stacey Dash, abruptly dropped her bid for the seat held by incumbent Nanette Bar- ragán, D-San Pedro.
On Thursday, Compton Mayor Aja Brown, who sur- prised the City with an an- nounced bid for the same seat, weeks ago, withdrew from the race a week after Dash. In a statement, the mayor cited the following:
“I am excited and blessed to announce that my husband of fourteen years and I are expect- ing our first child. We are over- joyed at the opportunity to become parents and look for- ward to starting our family,” Brown said. “To date, one of my highest honors has been ded- icating my time and life to serv- ing my community. However, at this point in my life, my family commitments supersede my ability to expand my level of service.
Mayor Aja Brown announ- ced her bid for congress right after Stacey Dash announced. Dash withdrew a few weeks ago, now Brown has with- drawn due to being pregnant.
“Today, I am announcing that I am withdrawing my candidacy to represent the 44th Congres- sional District. I am genuinely grateful for the outpouring of support for my candidacy after my initial announcement.”
Brown said initially in an- nouncing her candidacy, that
she had completed her job in Compton.
“I have given my all to serve my community and now I’ve an- swered the call to serve the 44th District as our next congres- sional representative,” she said
Now she says, “Moving for- ward collectively, we will con- tinue to empower, elevate and advance the City of Compton and our greater community. The coalitions, partnerships, pro- grams, new investments, and in- frastructure development will continue, and there is more to come.
“This milestone in my per- sonal life has provided me with a greater perspective and deep- ened my commitment to strengthening our families. Thank you for your overwhelm- ing love, support, and prayers. Our journey together is not over, it’s just beginning.”
The names of Brown, a De- mocrat, and Dash, a Republi- can, will remain on the ballot.
PAGE 6 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018