Danville’s 1963 civil rights movement led to almost a decade of court cases, most of which were kept closed to the public by a segregationist judge. The Danville courthouse and the Library of Virginia in Richmond both have records and audio recordings.
How MLK’s death affected a nation, as told by those who remember it
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy in a march on behalf of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., days before King was shot and killed.
(Sam Melhorn / Associated Press)
Martin Luther King Jr. had traveled to Memphis, Tenn., in late March 1968 to lead a protest march in support of the city’s striking sanitation workers. Violence had followed, with police descending on the protesters with billy clubs, mace and tear gas.
The next week, King returned to get court permission for another march. Despite the death threats he had received, and the growing concern for his safety, King pressed to hold a nonviolent demonstration.