An hour before he took the stage inside a University of South Florida auditorium, Askia Muhammad Aquil was still editing his speech.It was 50 years ago this week, just days after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead in Memphis, and Aquil, a student activist leader, struggled with what to say as keynote speaker at a USF event memorializing the slain civil rights giant."How do you eulogize such a man?" said Aquil, now 71, known in those days as Otha Favors. "The ink was still wet on the paper as I walked out." In his final draft, Aquil focused less on what King had achieved and more on what needed to be achieved. Honor King with actions, not tears, he said.It was a message civil rights leaders throughout the area preached and that in the immediate aftermath of the April 4, 1968 assassination helped their push for equality. And 50 years after King’s murder, they hope that is the legacy around Tampa Bay from that tumultuous time."Dr. King’s death empowered … [Read more...] about In death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired change around Tampa Bay
Dr martin luther king
Knicks greats Willis Reed and Walt Frazier reflect on the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King 50 years after his assassination
Willis Reed was driving down the Van Wyck Expressway on April 4, 1968 — just three days after the Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs by Wilt Chamberlain and the Sixers — when he heard on the radio that Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. "I was heartbroken, shocked. It's like somebody in your family just got killed," Reed recalled. "To me, he felt like he was part of how I felt, like he was a part of my family. "That was a tough time for me to have learned that." It's still an emotional subject for Reed, approaching the 50th anniversary of the Thursday evening when King was gunned down at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. Before Reed was the NBA's MVP and a two-time champion with the Knicks, he grew up in Jim Crow territory — Bernice, LA — where racism and segregation were as much a part of living as breathing oxygen. "I didn't think Bernice was a racist town, or that the people were pure racists. They weren't mean people, but it was just a way of … [Read more...] about Knicks greats Willis Reed and Walt Frazier reflect on the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King 50 years after his assassination
Edward Thompson: The theology of Dr. Martin Luther King
Theology is the study of God, religious faith and religious practice. It is worth examining the theology of Dr. Martin Luther King as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of his assassination on April 4, 1968. King’s theology was shaped by the writings, philosophy and activism of Howard Thurman, Randolph Bourne, Josiah Royce, Paul Tillich, Henry David Thoreau, Reinhold Niebuhr, Benjamin Mays, and especially the father of India, Mahatma Gandhi.The concept of a beloved community is at the core of King’s theology. A beloved community is one where we all are brothers and sisters created in God’s image, where we are one blood and one humanity. King accepted the theological doctrine of imago dei, which posits that humans are created in God’s image. Humans are imperfect, but they can over time grow in likeness to God. Humans have free will to either follow God’s image or choose a path of sin.The fact that we are created in God’s image empowers us to form the … [Read more...] about Edward Thompson: The theology of Dr. Martin Luther King
Ansonia to unveil bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, only 2nd in state to have one
By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich Updated 7:20 pm, Saturday, March 31, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-3', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 3', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Courtesy Of Macedonia Baptist Church / Image 1of/3 CaptionClose Image 1 of 3 Vasil Rakaj, an Ansonia sculptor born in Boga, Albania, works on a clay bust of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Vasil Rakaj, an Ansonia sculptor born in Boga, Albania, works on a clay bust of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Photo: Courtesy Of Macedonia Baptist Church / Image 2 of 3 L-R Vasil Rakaj-Sculptor, Deacon Dave Gatison, Pastor Alfred L. Smith, Jr. of Macedonia Baptist Church and Dr. John Hinson-Pastor of First Baptist Church of … [Read more...] about Ansonia to unveil bronze bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, only 2nd in state to have one
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day — HUNTSMAN DROPPING OUT, WILL ENDORSE ROMNEY IN S.C., 11 a.m.
HUNTSMAN MINDMELD: “Every vote he took in S.C. and Florida was one Romney wouldn't get. We figured between 8 and 14 [points] in S.C.: That's the difference between a Romney win in S.C. and someone else winning. It doesn't do the party any good to drag this on. Mitt is the one who can beat Obama and turn economy around. He felt good coming out of New Hampshire, where we gained 10 points in three days. We expected the same movement in S.C., but it still would have left him short. He discussed with family and senior staff Friday through the weekend. The family came to the final decision, which everyone agreed with [Sunday]. He ran a race we can all be proud of. He addressed key issues like too big to fail banks that nobody else was taking on. His message of restoring trust in Washington is an important one that he will continue to advocate for.” DRIVING THE DAY: Fox News debate in Myrtle Beach, 9 to 11 p.m. (debate itself is 1 hour, 45 minutes). Fox is expanding the time … [Read more...] about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day — HUNTSMAN DROPPING OUT, WILL ENDORSE ROMNEY IN S.C., 11 a.m.