A new "Readers Guide to the MLK Assassination" provides key books, videos, documents, websites and other archives most relevant to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s murder on April 4, 1968.
In a rare combination, the materials focus heavily on questions still remaining regarding responsibility and motive for King's shooting in Memphis, TN. Included also is research that explores the assassination's current implications for the U.S. justice system and other governance.
The materials contain varied perspectives. Readers can find evidence of injustice and official cover-up. But evidence is provided also for the official explanations and defenses of the official verdict that the late James Earl Ray, an ex-convict, acted alone to kill King with a single shot from a rooming house bathroom window.
The format thus parallels our 31-part Readers Guide to the JFK Assassination. Authorities have consistently maintained that Ray was a lone criminal, much like oft-disputed allegations against President John F. Kennedy's accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
The first installments of our MLK readers guide feature two timely elements as of this writing in mid-2016.
One is the announcement this spring of the new Citizens Against Political Assassinations (CAPA) as a non-partisan citizen group advocating release of sealed records pertaining to major suspected political assassinations, including of King ("MLK") and Kennedy ("JFK"). This editor is one of CAPA's founding directors. Information from this website is expected to be excerpted on CAPA's site, subject to CAPA's review procedures from its board of scientific, historical, and legal experts.
Another development this spring is the scheduled June 21 publication of The Plot To Kill King, the third and final volume in a series by King's friend Dr. William F. Pepper, an attorney and educator who represented the accused killer James Earl Ray beginning in 1978.
Pepper has long argued that Ray was the designated patsy in a plot by King opponents to use contract killers from the Mafia to kill the civil rights leader, with a back up plan for an Army sniper team to kill King under secret orders if the Mafia killer missed.
The reasons? Pepper maintains that the murder was ordered because King was expanding his advocacy against war and economic injustice in ways far more threatening to elite interests than King's opposition to civil rights abuses via segregation and voting rights restrictions.
In remarkable sleuthing that resulted in evidence from whistleblowers and suspects, Pepper documented his argument in part via confessions.
Pepper described the killing in two previous books, most notably An Act of State (first published in 2003) based on the successful civil suit King v. Jowers that he litigated on behalf of King's surviving family members. A Shelby County jury deliberated less than an hour in 1999 to find that restaurant owner Lloyd Jowers was liable in the case. Jowers was one of the conspirators that Pepper describes as being persuaded to confess, at least in part. Pepper said he and the family regretted that a suit against Jowers appeared to be the only way to pursue the case because authorities would not do so.
Pepper says the murder occurred with backup support from federal, state and local government operatives who perpetrated a cover-up that continues for the most part to the present.
Pepper has said he never would have represented Ray unless he were "one hundred percent certain" of the accused man's innocence.
Pepper's new book is reputed to include explosive new allegations against named individuals, with details still under wraps. In May, Pepper outlined on a panel with me in New York City the pervasive nature of political assassinations in history, including Socrates and Julius Caesar. We shall report separately on that panel as the next installment of this series.
King's Death Warrant? Does Topic Still Inspire Fear?
Whatever the merits of Pepper's allegations and those like them, an enhanced and constantly updated Readers Guide should prove useful to researchers as the 50th anniversary of the MLK killing approaches in 2018.
The continued public suspicions about the death of King (as well as that of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and his brother Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, among others) have been fostered by the highly irregular legal procedures involving each of the three deaths, including suppression of relevant documents and fear among witnesses and investigators.
To appreciate the historical importance, it is necessary to outline the vast changes, fears and hopes occurring in the late 1960s from the Vietnam War along with the desegregation and the rest of the civil rights struggle, which including the rise of the women's rights movement.
The life-or-death consequences for many Americans of the military draft into the Vietnam War posed an especially emotional trigger point whereby traditional "patriotism" symbolized by military service clashed with the theory of non-violence advocated by King and his followers, drawing upon their study of Christianity and the then-recent political lessons from India's spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi, himself a victim of assassination.
King expanded his advocacy from civil rights to antiwar advocacy in a major speech in New York City on April 4, 1967. Some commentators believed his signed his death warrant with the 53-minute lecture "Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence," available here via
on video. King delivered his sermon exactly one year before his assassination.“A time comes when silence is betrayal,” King told the congregation of the Riverside Church, whose leadership had just taken a position against the war. "That time has come for us in relation to Vietnam."
This overview requires mention also of the demonstrable apathy and timidity of official investigators through the decades. The last major official investigation was by the U.S. Justice Department under the signature of Attorney General Janet Reno in 2000. It's boilerplate findings confirming for the most part previous findings appeared with little recognition.
We know even more about the inner-workings of the last major congressional investigation, which occurred in the 1970s following mind-boggling revelations regarding assassination, illegal surveillance and domestic propaganda by federal law enforcement, intelligence and affiliated agencies.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations began with fanfare before the 1976 elections to ride a wave of public interest in the abuses, particularly regarding the killings of President Kennedy and King.
But after the elections congress clearly became frightened over the implications of allowing Chief Counsel Richard Sprague, shown at left, to investigate the killings. His budget and other powers were so restricted that full investigations became impossible. He was told such restrictions would continue unless he resigned.
Sprague did so, along with Robert Tanenbaum, the top deputy in charge of the JFK part of the probe. The investigations continued under a new general counsel, Robert Blakey and a new committee chairman, the late Congressman Louis Stokes (D-OH).
But Stokes (shown at right) was frightened of antagonizing authorities, according to insiders, and the announced findings broke little new ground in 1979. Tanenbaum has since denounced the JFK portion of the probe as far too timid, and Blakey has conceded that he was gulled by the CIA especially even though Blakey still believes Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK.
More generally, this guide is a work in progress. Therefore, new materials and suggestions (including corrections) are welcome regarding the entries below.
Realistically, the guide cannot include every book, video, official proceeding or archive about such a major figure as King. An electronic format can make a long catalog especially difficult to read on computers and mobile devices. So, the guide seeks to focus on major works and research centers and that sample a full range of perspective. The guide begins with assassination research and then moves to more general commentary on King's life and legacy, and their current implications.
MLK Assassination, Major Books
Ayton, Mel. A Racial Crime: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Potomac, 2007 (Archebooks, 2005).
Bailey, D'Army. Mine Eyes Have Seen: Dr. Martin Luther King's Final Journey. Towery, 1993.
Belzer, Richard, and David Wayne. Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-ups. Skyhorse, 2012.
Blair, Clay, Jr. The Strange Case of James Earl Ray: The Man Who Murdered Martin Luther King. Bantam, 1969.
Blumenthal, Sidney and Harvey Yazijian, eds. Government By Gunplay: Assassination Conspiracy Theories From Dallas To Today. New American Library, 1976.
Bodden, Valerie. The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Creative, 2017.
Burns, Rebecca. Burial for a King: Martin Luther King Jr's Funeral and the Week That Transformed Atlanta and Rocked the Nation. Scribner, 2011.
Clarke, James W. American Assassins: The Darker Side of American Politics. Princeton University, 1982.
Collins, Terry Lee.The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.: April 4, 1968 (24-Hour History). Heinemann, 2014.
Curington, John as told to Michael Whittington. H.L. Hunt: Motive & Opportunity. 23 House, 2018.
Douglass, James, W. JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters. Touchstone, 2008.
Dyson, Michael Eric. April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death and How it Changed America. Basic Civitas, 2008.
Emison, John Avery. The Martin Luther King Congressional Cover-Up: The Railroading of James Earl Ray. Pelican Publishing, 2014.
Frank, Gerold. An American Death: The True Story of the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Greatest Manhunt in Our Time. Doubleday, 1972.
Fulton, Christopher and Michelle Fulton. The Inheritance: Poisoned Fruit of JFK's Assassination, TrineDay, 2018.
Gabriel, Michael. James Earl Ray: The Last Days of Inmate #65477. Cat Yoga, 2004.
Garrow, David J. The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr.: From "Solo" to Memphis. Norton, 1981.
Gilbert, Ben W. , and the staff of The Washington Post. Ten Blocks from the White House: Anatomy of the Washington Riots of 1968. Praeger, 1968.
Honey, Michael K. Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King's Last Campaign. Norton, 2007.
Huie, William Bradford. He Slew the Dreamer: My Search for the Truth About James Earl Ray and the Murder of Martin Luther King. Alabama Black Belt, 1997 (Delacorte / Thomas Nelson, 1968).
Jeffries, Donald. Hidden History. Skyhorse, 2016.
Kamin, Ben. Room 306: The National Story of the Lorraine Motel. Michigan State University, 2012.
Lane, Mark, and Dick Gregory. Code Name "Zorro'" The Murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. Prentice-Hall, 1977.
__________ Murder in Memphis: The FBI and the Murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. Thunder's Mouth, 1993.
Levingston, Steven. Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over Civil Rights. Hachette, 2014.
Lomax, Louis E. To Kill A Black Man: the Shocking Parallel In the Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. Holloway House, 1968.
McKnight, Gerald D. The Last Crusade: Martin Luther King, Jr., the FBI, and the Poor People's Campaign. Westview / HarperCollins, 1998.
McMillan, George. The Making of an Assassin: The Life of James Earl Ray. Little, Brown, 1976.
Melanson, Philip H. The Murkin Conspiracy: An Investigation into the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Praeger, 1989.
__________ The Martin Luther King Assassination: New Revelations on the Assassination and Cover-up. Odonian, 1994.
McMichael, Pate. Klandestine: How A Klan Lawyer and Checkbook Journalist Helped James Earl Ray. Chicago Review, 2015.
Nelson, Phillip. Who Really Killed Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Case Against Lyndon Baines Johnson and J. Edgar Hoover. Skyhorse, 2018.
Newton, Michael. A Case For Conspiracy. Holloway House, 1987 (1980)
Pepper, William F. Orders To Kill: The Truth Behind the Murder of Martin Luther King. Carroll and Graf, 1996.
__________ An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King. Verso, 2003.
__________ The Plot to Kill King: The Truth Behind the Assassination of Martin Luther King. Skyhorse, 2016 (updated paperback 2018).
Posner, Gerald. Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Random House, 1998.
Potash, John and Fred Hampton Jr. (Foreword). The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders: U.S. Intelligence's Murderous Targeting of Tupac, MLK, Malcolm, Panthers, Hendrix, Marley. Progressive Left, 2008.
Ray, James Earl. Tennessee Waltz: The Making of a Political Prisoner. St. Andrew's, 1987.
Ray, James Earl. Who Killed Dr. Martin Luther King? The True Story by the Alleged Assassination. National Press, 1997.
Ray, Jerry, as told to Tamara Carter. A Memoir of Injustice by the Younger Brother of James Earl Ray, Alleged Assassin of Martin Luther King Jr. TrineDay. 2011. Afterword by Judge Joe Brown.
Ray, John Larry, and Lyndon Barsten. Truth at Last, from the brother of James Earl Ray: The Untold Story Behind James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Lyons. 2008.
Risen, Clay. A Nation on Fire: America in the Wake of the King Assassination. Wiley, 2009.
Rosenbloom, Joseph. Redemption: The Last Journey of Martin Luther King, Jr. Beacon, 2018.
Ryan, P.I. The Boys of Birmingham. Jimerson, 2009.
Savastano, Carmine. Two Princes and a King: A Concise History of Three Assassinations. Neapolis Media, 2016.
Scott, Peter Dale (shown in a file photo). The American Deep State: Wall Street, Big Oil and the Attack on U.S. Democracy. Rowman and Littlefield, 2014.
Scott, Peter Dale, Paul L. Hoch and Russell Stetler. Assassinations: Dallas and Beyond: A Guide To Cover-Ups and Investigations. Random House, 1976.
Sides, Hampton. Hellhound on His Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History. Doubleday, 2010.
Siegenthaler, John. A Search For Justice. Aurora, 1971.
Smiley, Tavis, and David Ritz. The Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year. Back Bay, 2016.
Sokol, Jason. The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Basic Books, 2018.
Swanson, James. Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt For Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assasin. Scholastic, 2018.
Ventura, Jesse, Russell, Dick. American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us. Skyhorse, 2013.
Waldron, Lamar and Thomas Hartmann. Legacy of Secrecy. The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination. Counterpoint, 2008.
Weisberg, Harold. Frame-up: The Assassination of Martin Luther King. Skyhorse, 1993 (1970). Postscript by James Earl Ray.
Weisbrot, Robert. Martin Luther King: The Assassination. Carroll & Graf, 1993.
Wexler, Stuart and Larry Hancock. The Awful Grace of God: Religious Terrorism, White Supremacy, and the Unsolved Murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. Counterpoint, 2012.
Wilson, Donald G. Evidence Withheld: The True Story in the FBI Cover-up of the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Outskirts, 2013.
Withers, Ernest C. I Am A Man. Photographs of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike and Martin Luther King Jr. Memphis, 1993.
Selected Assassination-Related Videos
1977
CBS via YouTube,
. Dan Rather. (1977) (4:07 min.).1998
A&E Networks. James Earl Ray: The Man and the Mystery. 1998 (DVD) (50 mins.)
2003
C-SPAN, Book Discussion on "An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King," Jan. 28, 2003. William Pepper talked about his book An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King, published by Verso. The book is about his friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr., their work together in opposing the Vietnam War and on the Poor Peoples Campaign, and Dr. King’s assassination. Mr. Pepper argues that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of assassinating Dr. King, was only a “patsy” and that the men who conspired to kill Dr. King — at least one of whom is still alive -- have never been brought to justice. Mr. Pepper also talks about the 1999 wrongful death lawsuit brought, and won, by the King family against Memphis restaurant owner Lloyd Jowers, on the grounds that he conspired to kill Dr. King. Pepper answered questions from members of the audience following his remarks.
History Channel.
(45 mins.). 2003.2012
Smithsonian Channel. MLK: The Assassination Tapes. (DVD). (46 mins.) 2012
Selected MLK Major Works (General Life and Legacy)
By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. Beacon, 2010 (Harper, 1958).
__________The Measure of a Man. Literary Licensing, 2013 (Christian Education, 1959).
__________ Strength to Love. Fortress, 2010 (Harper & Row, 1963).
__________ Why We Can't Wait. Dorothy Cotton, intro. Beacon, 2011 (New American Library, 1964).
__________ The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Vols. I-VII, Clayborne Carson, senior ed. University of California, 1992-2014.
__________ Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Vincent Harding, intro., and Coretta Scott King, frwd. Beacon, 2010 (Harper & Row, 1967).
__________ The Trumpet of Conscience. Coretta Scott King, fwd. Marian Wright Edelman, new frwd. Beacon, 2010 (Harper & Row, 1968). Five 1967 lectures for the Massey Series of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
__________ A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington, James M., ed. HarperOne, 2003 (1986).
__________ The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Clayborne Carson, ed. Turtleback, 2001 (Warner, 1998).
__________ All Labor Has Dignity. Michael K. Honey, ed. Beacon, 2012. 2011.
__________ "Thou, Dear God": Prayers That Open Hearts and Spirits Collection of Dr. King's Prayers. Lewis V. Baldwin, ed. Beacon, 2011.
__________ The Radical King. Cornel West, ed. Beacon, 2016.
Selected MLK Major Speeches
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
__________ )
__________ . Aug. 28, 1963, Washington, DC. (Video, 5:17 min.)
__________ A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Clayborne Carson and Peter Holloran, eds. Warner, 2000 (Audio cassette).
MLK Biographies and Histories, Selected Major Works
Abernathy, Ralph D. And the Wall Came Tumbling Down. Harper & Row, 1989.
Adelman, Bob (photographer), introduced by Charles Johnson. MLK: A Celebration in Word and Image. Beacon, 2011.
Ansbro, John J. Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Making of a Mind. Orbis, 1982.
Bagley, Edythe Scott, with Joe Hilley. Desert Rose: The Life and Legacy of Coretta Scott King. University of Alabama, 2012.
Bailey, D'Army. Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Dr. Martin Luther King's Final Journey. Towery, 1993.
Baldwin, Lewis V., and Amiri Yasin Al-Hadid. Between Cross and Crescent: Christian and Muslim Perspectives on Malcolm and Martin. University of Florida, 2002.
__________ The Voice of Conscience: The Church in the Mind of Martin Luther King, Jr. Oxford University, 2010.
Beifuss, Joan T. At the River I Stand: Memphis, 1968 Strike, and Martin Luther King. B &W, 1998 (St. Lukes, 1990).
Bennett, Lerone, Jr. What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968. Johnson, 1964 (4th rev. ed. 1976).
Bishop, Jim. The Days of Martin Luther King, Jr. Putnam's, 1971.
Branch, Taylor. Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63. Simon & Schuster, 1988.
__________ Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65. Simon & Schuster, 1999.
__________ At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968. Simon & Schuster, 2007.
Burns, Stewart. To the Mountaintop: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Mission to Save American: 1955-1968. HarperSanFrancisco, 2004.
Carson, Clayborne. In Struggle: SNCC and the Black Awakening of the 1960s. Harvard University, 1981.
__________, co-author, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Encyclopedia. Greenwood, 2008.
__________ Martin's Dream: My Journey and the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. A Memoir. Palgrave MacMillan, 2013.
Clark, Kenneth B. King, Malcolm, Baldwin. Wesleyan University, 1985. [Originally, The Negro Protest. Beacon, 1963.]
Clayton, Edward T. Martin Luther King: The Peaceful Warrior. Prentice-Hall, 1970.
Clemens, Thomas C. Martin Luther King: Man of Peace. U.S. Information Agency, 1965.
Cone, James H. Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare. Orbis, 1991.
Davis, Lenwood G. I Have a Dream: The Life and Times of Martin Luther King. Negro Universities, 1969.
Dyson, Michael Eric. I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr. Free Press, 2000.
Fager, Charles. Uncertain Resurrection: The Poor People's Washington Campaign. William Eerdmans, 1969.
Fairclough, Adam. To Redeem the Soul of America: The SCLC and Martin Luther King, Jr. University of Georgia, 1987.
Frady, Marshall. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life. Penguin, 2005.
Garrow, David J. Protest at Selma: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Yale University, 1978.
__________ Martin Luther King, Jr.: Challenging America at its Core. Democratic Socialists of America, 1983.
__________ The F.B.I. and Martin Luther King, Jr.: From "Solo" to Memphis. Penguin, 1983.
__________ Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. William Morrow, 1986. (2015).
Goodwin, Bennie E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: God's Messenger of Love, Justice and Hope. Goodpatrick, 1976.
Green, Robert I. The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Witchita State University, 1973. Hanigan, James P. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Foundations of Nonviolence. University Press of America, 1984.Jackson, Thomas F. From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Struggle for Economic Justice. University of Pennsylvania, 2009. Jackson,Troy. Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader. University of Kentucky, 2008. Johnson, Charles, and Bob Adelman. King: The Photobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Viking Studio, 2000 Jones, Clarence B. What Would Martin Say? HarperCollins, 2008.
__________ Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation. Palgrave-Macmillan, 2011.
King, Coretta Scott. My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969.
King, Coretta Scott as told to Barbara Reynolds. My Life, My Love, My Legacy. Holt, 2018.
King, Martin Luther, Sr., with Clayton Riley. Daddy King: An Autobiography. William Morrow, 1980.
Kondrashov, Stanislav. The Life and Death of Martin Luther King. Progress, 1981.
Kotz, Nick. Judgment Day: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Laws That Changed America. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Lee, Chana Kai. For Freedom's Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer, 1917-1977. University of Illinois, 1999.
Lewis, David Levering. King: A Critical Biography. University of Illinois, 2012 (3rd ed.) (Praeger, 1970).
Lokos, Lionel. House Divided: The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King. Arlington House, 1968.
Margolick, David. The Promise and the Dream: The Untold Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Rosetta, April 3, 2018.
McKee, Don. Martin Luther King, Jr. Putnam's, 1969.
McWhorter, Diane. Carry Me Home : Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution. Simon & Schuster, 2013 (2001).
__________ A Dream Of Freedom. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
Miller, William R. Martin Luther King, Jr. Weybright & Talley, 1968.
Muller, Gerald F. Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader. Denison & Co., 1971.
Oates, Stephen B. Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Harper & Row, 1982.
Peck, Ira. The Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholastic, 1968.
Ransby, Barbara. Ella Baker and the Black Radical Tradition. University of North Carolina Press, 2003.
Rieder, Jonathan. Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation. Bloomsbury, 2014.
Slack, Kenneth. Martin Luther King. SCM, 1970.
Smith, Ervin. The Ethics of Martin Luther King. Edwin Mellin, 1970.
Tweedle, John. A Lasting Impression: A Collection of Photographs of Martin Luther King, Jr. University of South Carolina, 1983.
Walton, Hanes, Jr. The Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Greenwood, 1971.
Westin, Alan F., and Barry Mahoney. The Trial of Martin Luther King, Jr. Crowell, 1974.
Witherspoon, William R. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- To the Mountaintop. Doubleday, 1985.
Selected MLK Videos
C-SPAN Martin Luther King, Jr. Archives, Washington, DC. The cable-funded public affairs channel provides an extensive archives of shows illuminating all major points of view. The site has search functions, and indexing categories for clips, people, and legislation. As of 2016, its search feature contained more than 530 videos related to Dr. Martin Luther King and his legacy and 3,200 videos with text.
Selected Music
Wikipedia, Abraham, Martin and John is a 1968 song written by Dick Holler and first recorded by Dion. It is a tribute to the memory of four assassinated Americans, all icons of social change, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. It was written in response to the assassination of King and that of Robert Kennedy in April and June 1968, respectively. Each of the first three verses features one of the men named in the song's title, for example:
"Anybody here, seen my old friend Abraham — Can you tell me where he's gone? He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good die young But I just looked around and he's gone."
After a bridge, the fourth and final verse mentions Robert "Bobby" Kennedy, and ends with a description of him walking over a hill with the other three men.