ATLANTA -- For many, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is a day of public service. Someone who knew Dr. King very well has made it his mission to keep his story alive. Now 68, Tom Houck once drove for a King -- the leader of the movement. Today, he gives civil rights tours in Atlanta. In 1966, Houck, a 19-year-old civil rights volunteer, admired the King family. By chance one day, he met them at lunch. "It was really Coretta that made me the accidental driver." He told the story in Ebenezer Baptist, the King family church. "She said that she had a driver that was taking her kids to school, but that he just wasn't working out, and could I drive the kids to school." "This is a white kid -- we're talking about 1966 -- driving four black kids around Atlanta," Houck continued. Houck was also the driver for Dr. King, who later lobbied to keep Houck in the movement and out of Vietnam. Houck gave CBS News a private tour. "He was a chain smoker. He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, which … [Read more...] about Martin Luther King’s driver on life with a King
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Memphis sanitation workers recall marching with Martin Luther King Jr.
MEMPHIS -- In the winter of 1968, the garbage men of Memphis put the city on notice. Men like Elmore Nickleberry and Baxter Leach went on strike, demanding equal pay and better working conditions after two coworkers were accidentally killed in a trash compactor. "The marchers were saying, 'we overcome someday," Leach said. "Were you ever fearful of your life?" CBS News asked Nickleberry. "Sure, you feel like a war was on," he responded. A Korean War veteran, Nickleberry and others were now fighting for justice. Among their demands was the right to have access to a sink to wash off the stench off a 9-hour day. His pay for the day? Just $1.25 a day. On April 3, 1968, he found himself in lock-step with Martin Luther King Jr. "That day was a good day -- a marvelous day," Nickleberry said. "When I saw him, I said, 'This man is going to change a lot of things,'" Nickleberry said of King. "I knew I had a shot." "That speech he gave, that did something to me," Nickleberry said. "I … [Read more...] about Memphis sanitation workers recall marching with Martin Luther King Jr.
Memphis sanitation workers recall working with Martin Luther King Jr.
MEMPHIS -- In the winter of 1968, the garbage men of Memphis put the city on notice. Men like Elmore Nickleberry and Baxter Leach went on strike, demanding equal pay and better working conditions after two coworkers were accidentally killed in a trash compactor. "The marchers were saying, 'we overcome someday," Leach said. "Were you ever fearful of your life?" CBS News asked Nickleberry. "Sure, you feel like a war was on," he responded. A Korean War veteran, Nickleberry and others were now fighting for justice. Among their demands was the right to have access to a sink to wash off the stench off a 9-hour day. His pay for the day? Just $1.25 a day. On April 3, 1968, he found himself in lock-step with Martin Luther King Jr. "That day was a good day -- a marvelous day," Nickleberry said. "When I saw him, I said, 'This man is going to change a lot of things,'" Nickleberry said of King. "I knew I had a shot." "That speech he gave, that did something to me," Nickleberry said. "I was … [Read more...] about Memphis sanitation workers recall working with Martin Luther King Jr.
Teatro LATEA honors Martin Luther King with week-long arts fest
One of New York City’s oldest and best-known Latino theaters is paying tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Teatro LATEA on the Lower East Side is presenting a week-long series of affordable events that began Monday, Jan. 15 — the federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader — with a panel discussion on King’s life and legacy, and ends Sunday, Jan. 21, with a guided tour of the “slave galleries” in St. Augustine’s Church on Henry St. In between is a diverse selection of African American and Afro-Latino-oriented theater, music, dance, art, film, poetry and comedy celebrating King as well as the Latino culture’s deep roots in Africa. “LATEA is short for ‘Latin American Theater Experience and Associates,’ and it stands to reason that one of the main strengths of Latin culture — the African strength — be highlighted in this heartfelt tribute to Martin Luther King,” says Miguel Trelles, co-director … [Read more...] about Teatro LATEA honors Martin Luther King with week-long arts fest
Duluth shop’s Martin Luther King ‘black’ sale sparks outrage
A shop in downtown Duluth has gotten complaints from around the country about its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day sale. "25% OFF Everything Black!" said a sign in the window of Global Village, which sells clothes and handcrafted items from around the world. Online, the shop posted more: "He showed us that the struggle and lookin' super fly can go hand in hand. We salute him with 25% off everything black, Monday, January 20th. Much more our style than a Columbus Day sale, no?" A photo of the sign and accompanying Facebook post was quickly passed around, inspiring hundreds of critical comments. "This is offensive," one woman wrote. "Are all the black items segregated to a certain part of the store?" another said. "This promotion equates black people with black objects that are for sale," one man wrote. "It trivializes and deeply insults the struggles of any race of people (in this case, black people) to be treated as equal human beings and not objects that are for sale." A call to … [Read more...] about Duluth shop’s Martin Luther King ‘black’ sale sparks outrage