Honoring MLK 50 Years After His Assassination

By Jennifer L. Warren

NEWBURGH – April 4, 1968. For many, it was a day that time stood still.

Civil rights iconic activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was senselessly assassinated outside of his hotel room. At just 39 years old, Dr. King had his life taken away through the very means that he relentlessly fought against, violence. However, that act was not done before Dr. King had started a world-wide movement, geared toward equality, peace and love. Now, 50 years later, last Wednesday, the day that marked that life-altering day for so many, organizations across the country came together to celebrate King’s legacy, as well as make unwavering commitments to continue to pursue his vision of brotherhood and peace for all.

One of those many places where MLK’s vision is being carried out is the City of Newburgh. Pivotal to this realization are groups such as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee involved in the erection of the Monument, located on the corner of MLK Boulevard and Dickie Peterson Way and Colden Street. It was at this spot, on the anniversary day of MLK’s assassination, that members from that Committee as well as various others involved in keeping the iconic figures dream alive in Newburgh and beyond, gathered to pay tribute as well as make some plans to further King’s impact in their home City.

In addition to the announcement of a future Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park reality, so too was the possibility of an African-American Library, containing information on influential, local community members. After helping place a Memorial spray alongside the MLK Monument, Reverend Nelson McAllister, discussed the symbolic potency of the brief ceremony taking place at the Monument last Wednesday afternoon.

“Today marks the 50 year celebration of a man who changed the world; the influence of his legacy is still going on, even though we have not seen the Promised Land as he had dreamed of it,” said Reverend McAllister, President of the Christian Ministerial Fellowship. “Dr. King’s assignment was to begin something that has not yet come to fruition; it is now, more than ever, up to us to continue it.”

That momentum got started with the Monument service and continued on with an ensuing reception at the nearby Newburgh Free Library. Here, more specific plans on both the Park and Library were detailed. Renditions of the park were provided, while public opinion was invited for a discussion. The hope is that the Park will contain the relocated King Monument, which will sit in the center of the sacred setting, containing a columbarium around it with the sacred remains from the Colored Burial Ground. Other potential gestures and activities that could be done in the City of Newburgh to carry on the realization of King’s Dream were also discussed. In the end, the Monument ceremony, signifying the 50 years since his passing, was also the “kickoff,” catalyst to a dedicated movement in the City of Newburgh to not only never forget MLK, but also to bring his hopes and dreams right here to their City in any ways possible.

“For Newburgh, we take Dr. King seriously, and are particularly looking forward to championing the exhibition of black culture with talks of a library or heritage center to hold our ancestor’s bones as well as the entire process involved,” said Tallie Carter of the Black History Committee of the Hudson Valley, an umbrella organization for the MLK 50th Coalition.

“Today and this ceremony mark the very beginning of what we are trying to figure out.”
Regardless of the specifics that transpire over the next months and years, the dedicated efforts toward keeping King’s crucial messages alive will be steadfast, geared toward never forgetting who King was and the unforgettable ways he continues to touch so many lives.

“For Newburgh, this will be a legacy of his life with an impact on this City, the United Sates and the world,” affirmed Reverend McAllister. “We want to memoralize that he gave his life for so many of us; this is our place to do just that while celebrating all that he was.”