How Long?
State Capitol Montgomery, AL - March 25, 1965
Today we celebrate the life & legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and those he inspired, by honoring civil rights pioneers and great societal leaders we lost this past year, and by remembering the names of those who lost their lives in acts of systemic racial violence.
REST IN POWER
Rev. Joseph Lowry - UMC Minister & Founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rev. C.T. Vivian - Minister & Field General for Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. King.
Bruce Boynton - Civil Rights leader who inspired the Freedom Riders Movement. He challenged racial segregation laws with his then attorney, who would one day become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall.
John Lewis - Statesman from the great state of Georgia for 23 years & Civil rights hero who served shoulder to shoulder with Dr. King.
David Dinkins - 106th Mayor of NYC and the first African American to hold that position.
Katherine Johnson - NASA mathematician crucial in the success of the first and subsequent US crewed spaceflights. She inspired the film Hidden Figures.
Joe Clark - Principal of Eastside High in Paterson, NJ. He inspired the film Lean on Me.
B. Smith - Restauranteur, model, author, businesswoman, and tv host.
Lou Brock - Minister & Professional baseball player & coach. He was inducted in to the Hall of Fame in 1985.
John Thompson - First African American to coach and win an American collegiate championship in 1984 for basketball.
Kobe Bryant - Professional basketball player & patron of the After school Allstars & the Kobe Bryant China Fund.
Jas Waters - Hip Hop Journalist & Screenwriter - writer on the staff of This is Us.
Chadwick Boseman - Actor & playwright. He was a patron of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Ja’net DuBois - Actress, famous for her role as Willona on Good Times.
Andre Harrell - Rapper, music executive, and producer. He gave Sean P. Diddy Combs his start.
Charley Pride - 1 of only 3 African American members of the Grand Ol’ Opry. He served in the Army & played professional baseball.
Betty Wright - Grammy award winning R&B / Soul Singer. Her works have been sampled by hip hop, rock, & r&b musicians.
Little Richard - Grammy award winning singer / songwriter influencing gospel, blues, r&b, rock&roll, and hip hop.
Bill Withers - Singer / songwriter and publisher. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
Pop Smoke - Brooklyn based rapper noted for his ability to integrate various beat styles. His songs have been widely used in Black Lives Matter protests.
MF Doom - Rapper noted for his intricate word play and even integrating stream of consciousness into his lyrics.
Shabba Doo - Actor, dancer, choreographer. He was one of innovators of the dance style known as locking. He choreographed the dance that won the Oscar for by 3 / 6 Mafia in 2006.
SAY THEIR NAMES
Miciah Lee - 18 / Sparks, NV
Darius Tarver - 23 / Denton, TX
William Green - 43 / Temple Hills, MD
Jaquyn Light - 20 / Graham, NC
Lionel Morris - 39 / Conway. AR
Ahmaud Arbery - 25 / Satilla Shores, GA
Manuel Ellis - 33 / Tacoma, WA
Barry Gedeus - 27 / Ft. Lauderdale FL
Breonna Taylor - 26 / Louisville, KY
Daniel Prude - 30 / Rochester, NY
Steven Taylor - 33 / San Leandro, CA
Cornelius Fredericks - 16 / Kalmazoo, MI
Maurice Gordon - 28 / Bass River, NJ
George Floyd - 46 / Minneapolis, MN
Dion Johnson - 28 / Phoenix, AZ
Tony McDade - 38 / Tallahassee, FL
Calvin Horton Jr. - 43 / Minneapolis, MN
James Scurlock - 22 / Omaha, NB
David McAtee - 53 / Louisville, KY
James Floyd - 35 / New York, NY
Kamal Flowers - 24 / New Rochelle, NY
Robert Forbes - 56 / Bakersfield, CA
Priscilla Slater - 38 / Harper Woods, MI
Rachard Brooks - 27 / Atlanta, GA
Maurice Wagner - 30 / Maui, HI
Julian Lewis - 60 / Sylvania, GA
Anthony McClain - 32 / Pasadena, CA
Damian Daniels - 30 / San Antonio, TX
Dijon Kizze - 29 / Los Angeles, CA
Jonathan Price - 31 / Wolfe City, TX
Walter Wallace Jr. - 27 / Philadelphia, PA
Quawan Charles - 15 / Iberia Parish, LA
Aiden Ellison - 19 / Ashland, OR
Casey Goodson Jr. - 23 / Columbus, OH
Patrick Warren - 52 / Killen, TX
KEEP MOVING!
To learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and how his family his carrying on with his work:
To learn about and support Black Lives Matter:
To honor those fallen and take action against racism:
If you’re a person of privilege and you’d like resources on ally-ship:
Remember folx, it’s up to us to make Dr. King’s dream a reality!
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