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April 4, 2016

Remembering The Incomparable Maya Angelou: Gone To Soon

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

 

 Maya Angelou was born, “Marguerite Johnson” on April 4, 1928. She was nicknamed Maya (meaning “my sister”) by her brother. Angelou grew up in Stamps, Arkansas and as a child, was raised by her grandmother. At the age of 7, while visiting her mother in Chicago, Angelou was sexually molested by her mother’s boyfriend. Angelou was ashamed to tell an adult, so she told her brother. She found out later that one of her uncles killed her attacker. Angelou felt that her words had killed the man and as a result did not speak for 5 year until she was 13. Angelou is the mother of one son named, Guy who she had at age 16.  Angelou led a colorful and storied life. Though she never went to college, she was the recipient of more than 50 honorary degrees. Continue reading “Remembering The Incomparable Maya Angelou: Gone To Soon” →

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48th Anniversary – Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Black History: Special Delivery!!

Funeral Procession of Martin Luther King Jr
Mule drawn Carriage carries body of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during funeral procession in 1968.

 

Shortly before his death, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had traveled to Memphis, TN to support black sanitation workers in their quest for higher wages and better working conditions. King had become increasingly more vocal about the economic disenfranchisement and discrimination faced by blacks. The rally hoped to draw 6,000 people. On the original date of the march, Dr. King and his supporters withdrew from the march; feeling that the presence of the Black Panther might provoke violence. King later returned to Memphis to attend a second march that was planned. He hoped that this march would be a peaceful one.

Upon arriving, King checked into the Lorraine Motel. Despite security considerations, King chose to stay at the motel. During his earlier visit, he had been criticized for staying at the Holiday Inn because it was viewed as too “lavish”. On the evening of April 4th, King came out onto the balcony of his hotel room on the second floor. He began talking to friends on the ground below. At 6:05pm, a shot suddenly rang out, hitting King. He collapsed immediately. King had been shot by a sniper and was hit in the neck and head. He was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Memphis. Continue reading “48th Anniversary – Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” →

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