Page 11 - Spelman50thReunionBook
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New campus organizations like Sisters in Paschal’s. Some of us had joined his local
Blackness were born. marches.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Death When we heard the news of his death on the radio,
after returning to our dorms from dinner, we
While many accounts of that fateful day in
Memphis have focused on Dr. King’s funeral and immediately went to Archer Hall, Morehouse’s gym,
the long lines that waited to view his body on with students across the AUC. We grieved
Spelman’s campus, the emotional impact of his together. We were terrified inside when we
death on those of us witnessing history from our received news of rioting and fires on Hunter Street
Campus vantage and threats to burn the gym down.
point has not been We hurried back to campus where we listened to
analyzed. For us, accounts of his death and riots across the nation.
assassinations Collectively, we wondered, what will happen to us
were too now? In the aftermath, 125 cities in 29 states
commonplace— experienced uprisings. By Founders Day. April 11,
Kennedy, 1968, 46 people had been killed and 35,000 were
Malcolm and injured in the confrontations.
Evers---though Some students made plans to fly to Memphis with
shocking, were seen his widow to finish the march. All of us volunteered
from a distance. A few of our to welcome the world to Atlanta for the funeral,
Birmingham classmates knew the four little girls greeting them at the airport, helping with logistics
who were killed, but the bombings had occurred for transportation, and finally crowd control at the
long ago when they, too were children. We had funeral. Most of us agree that Dr. King’s death and
grown up watching Dr. King open doors and secure the events surrounding it had transformative impact
Civil Rights victories. While we could debate the upon our lives
pros-and cons of non-violence, Dr. King had
walked among us and spoken for Convocation. He
was a familiar figure on Hunter Street, especially at
