Experts, former associates reflect on life of Martin Luther King in Atlanta panel
Former Atlanta Mayor and UN Ambassador Andrew Young was part of "Atlanta Then and Now," an extraordinary event held by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week at the Atlanta History Center.
Panelists including Young, former AJC Managing Editor Hank Klibanoff, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book "The Race Beat" and host of "Buried Truths," a new WABE podcast launching March 26; the Rev. Bernice King, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, historian David Garrow, author of the Pulitzer-winning book "Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference" and Trumpet Awards founder Xernona Clayton gathered to discuss the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The discussion, moderated by AJC editor Kevin Riley, was followed by Channel 2's special, "The Last Days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."
Here are some key moments from the discussion, compiled by the AJC:
- King confidant and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young choking back emotion recounting the day King was killed in Memphis 50 years ago. Young talked about King accepting death. He said it was a peace he witnessed in King that wasn't fatalistic but rather a determined destiny that he understood to be part of his calling.
- King's youngest daughter Bernice King, who was 5 years old when her father was killed, talking about how having internationally famous parents robbed her of some rites of childhood. She was asked by a subscriber during a Q&A session about the difficulty of growing up without a father. Her answer was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Bernice King said that she was at peace with her family's sacrifice because she is a daily witness to how her parents' lives changed the world. Still, she grew up missing out on doing "girl things" with her mother because the late Corretta Scott King was often busy carrying on the work of her husband. And when she was around there was always a spotlight.
- Friend of the King family Xernona Clayton sharing an anecdote about a conversation she had with Attorney General Bobby Kennedy on the day King was killed. Kennedy, she said, instructed her to book every hotel in Atlanta on his behalf. Effectively, anyone traveling to Atlanta for the funeral had to go through her. Luminaries such Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte were at her mercy. "Now that's black power," she deadpanned.
This article includes reporting and information from AJC staff members Jennifer Brett and Leroy Chapman.
READ MORE ABOUT MLK 50th from AJC
> Full video: The Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event
> Q&A: 50 years after his death, how are we doing?
> Essay: King paved the way for more daughter and millions of others
