April 3, 1968 (56 years ago today): Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his last public speech, on the day before his assassination, at Bishop Charles Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. A thunderstorm raged outside. He was not feeling well. He asked Rev. Ralph Abernathy to fill in for him that evening, but attendees refused to accept the substitution and Dr. King delivered. He also spoke about rumored threats to his life, stating: “And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!”
Further reading to learn more:
Citations: Jonathan Eig, King: A Life (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023), 648-652, Kindle edition; Martin Luther King, Jr., “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” in A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., eds. Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard (New York: Warner Books, 2001), https://archive.org/details/calltoconscience00king; Jim Roberts, “Mason Temple, Church of God in Christ,” photograph (Memphis, TN, April 8, 2017), Creative Commons, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Mason_Temple%2C_Church_of_God_in_Christ_Memphis%2C_Tennessee.jpg.
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