On this day, April 4, 1968, we lost a great man. This is the date in which Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. I found out this week that there are so many more things about Dr. King that I never knew. I know that day alone, I had no idea that things went the way that they did. Its interesting what we learn in schools and what we don't. But its also interesting that with people in history, we seldom think of them as real people. Rather than a human being, they are put on a pedestal and seen as a hero...which of course, he was and still is, but because we do this, sometimes we don't see past the outer shell of the person. Yes we know that Dr. King was a great speaker. He was a father, a husband, and a preacher. After watching Tavis Smiley on Tuesday, I got a glimpse into Martin the man....the friend.
Rev. Samuel Kyles was one of the guests on Tavis' show. He is one of the two people who were with Dr. King, just before he was killed. He is the only one of the three of them who is still living. Openly, he shared with Tavis and the world that he believes he remains as the sole witness of that experience to continue to tell the story of what really happened that day. He is able to shed light on what actual events occurred....not just outside of the hotel room, on the balcony where King died, but also what went on the hour before, behind clothes doors. Now, I can look at Dr. King as the human being that he always was and I hope that after this, you will look at him in the same way. He was more than just a civil rights activist who preached equal rights and nonviolence. Turns out that he was actually a very funny guy who often shared jokes with his friends.
The Sanitation Workers sent for Dr. King to come to Memphis because they were striking at the time, hoping to be recognized as a union. He came, although his people initially turned them down,saying that he was too busy to come. He was asked to lead a march, and when violence broke out, he was hurt by it. But being the man that he is, he wanted to have another march, which he also led. On April 4th, Rev. Kyles went to the hotel where Dr. King was staying, at 5pm to pick him up and take him to dinner. The women of the church prepared a dinner of the delicious "soul foods" that he actually hoped he'd be having. At 5pm, Rev. Kyles went to pick him up, but he was in no hurry to leave because he knew dinner didn't actually start until 6pm. From 5 to 6pm, the three ministers, Rev. Abernathy, Rev. Kyles, and Dr. King sat in the hotel room having "preacher talk". They shared a few stories and a few laughs and just hung out, just like three friends would. As they were preparing to go, Dr. King was standing on the balcony, leaning over the rail. He shouted down to Jesse Jackson who he spotted down in the courtyard, joking with him about how he didn't have on a tie although they were supposed to be going to dinner. Rev. Jackson said all he needed as his appetite. :) As Dr. King stood on the balcony, he realized that he didn't have his coat so he yelled into the hotel room for someone to bring it out when he came out. Rev. Kyles tried to rally the troops because it was getting late and they had a rally to go to after dinner, then he walked away. Five steps later, he heard the shot. When he turned around, Dr. King had fallen back onto the floor from the railing where he had once stood, joking with his friend. That evening, the man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, but his kindhearted and gentle spirit will live on forever. Never forget....
If you get a chance, check out the transcript from Tavis Smiley's show. The link is below. No one can tell the story like the man who was actually there. :)
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200804/20080401_kyles.html
God bless you!
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