An Unhappy Anniversary

By Final Call News | Last updated: Apr 5, 2016 - 11:34:00 PM

This year marked the 48th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and included remembrances and writings that paid tribute to the drum major for justice and civil rights movement martyr.

Absent from the remembrances and the ceremonial programs was a very simple tribute to Dr. King: A demand that all involved in his murder be brought to justice and demand that all government-held information related to his death be made public. Dr. King didn’t depart this earth due to old age or an unfortunate illness; he was killed by an assassin.

And as Sadiki Kambom of the Boston-based Black Community Information Center has repeatedly proclaimed for years and annually cried out as a voice in the wilderness, the way to honor Dr. King is to pursue justice and apprehend all who played a role in his vicious murder.

“January 15, 2016 would have marked the 87th birthday of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But, as we are all aware, Dr. King would not live to see that day as on the fateful event of April 4, 1968, he was the victim of an assassin’s bullet at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. It was determined at the time that the name of the alleged assassin was one James Earl Ray. The question at hand was whether Ray was the actual shooter or a pawn used in a conspiracy to kill Dr. King,” wrote Brother Kambon earlier this year in recognition of the Georgia-born preacher’s birthday.

“The King family visited Ray in prison and left convinced that he was not the actual assassin. Therefore they filed a civil suit in the court system of Memphis, Tennessee in 1999. After a lengthy trial and several (70) witnesses, the jury returned with a verdict that Dr. King was ‘the victim of a conspiracy by agencies of the United States Government.’ Despite documented trial evidence, the killers of Dr. King remain at large or are now deceased. You can go to martin luther king jr assassination trial transcripts and see for yourself the entire story in complete detail,” he added.

“Beginning in the year 2000 and for the last 16 years, yours truly has been sending correspondence to various U.S. presidents (Clinton, W Bush, Obama) calling on their respective administrations to take action on the case. That would involve their instructing the attorney generals to establish a ‘special grand jury’ to investigate the assassination of Dr. King and bring his killers to justice. As expected, the responses have been a form letter acknowledging the receipt of the request (‘special grand jury’) and a ‘thank you for your interest.’

“Government silence is expected, but what is disturbing is the apparent reluctance, including those claiming alleged leadership, to confront and deal with the case. Here you have a man (Dr. King) who gave his life for his people and we pay him back by trying to ignore that his assassination never happened!! A political fight has been waged to have a national holiday in his honor, street/building names, etc. This is nothing more then ‘window dressing’ to avoid seeking justice in the name of Dr. King,” argued the longtime activist.

Brother Kambon raises an important point, how can be pay homage to a man taken from us unjustly, but not demand justice? It’s time for the truth of the King assassination to come out. We should not have to wait until 2027 for files related to his death to be released. The truth needs to come out now and who better to support and champion release of the files than the first Black president of the United States as he leaves office? Could there be a better legacy to leave and greater service to render to this country?

The Final Call