Talk we will have an author signing. Finally located across the lobby and finally we will have a question and answer session after the talk so come down to the microphone where you can ask questions and then you can access the microphone. Now want to turn to our speaker. The awardwinning investigative journalist and the twitter writers of the boston globe had the documentary series on pbs. Please join me to welcome our author. [applause] and with the introduction. Thank you to the Boston Public Library for sponsoring this event and to cspan books. Can everyone hear me . No. Into the stellar, columnist joining me later in the program so that is the format for 25 minutes or so and with the introduction of the highlights to you and then we will open the conversation i brought a few photos of material i also brought a few audio clips and some excerpts from interviews that i conducted while i was working on the book. On the morning of april 3r april 3rd, 1968, Martin Luther king junior died at arrived at the airport in memphis tennessee. Accompanying him were his close aides henry young and then ralph abernathy. They had taken Eastern Airlines flight from atlanta. At the Atlanta Airport there was a bomb threat directed specifically at king. The passengers were evacuated. It turns out to be a false alarm. And those were not his only two worries. But this was his third visit to memphis in 1968. On his first visit on march 18 he addressed the garbage worker workers. He was back ten days later to speak and to lead a march through downtown memphis. So barely had the march began before it turned into a riot. A small number had broken away from the march. They had broken windows, stores and the Police Responded with tear gas and clubs and guns. And in the aftermath, it was king that was condemned for the riots condemned by politicians a newspaper editorialist and alleging that he had a false command some people said he was even inciting violence so he decided he had to return to memphis that would be nonviolent. So there he is arriving back for that purpose he had another worry on that wednesday morning on the verge of launching his Poor Peoples Campaign to protest and demand sweeping legislation and the Poor Peoples Campaign had gotten off to a slow start. The organizing and fundraising going well behind schedule and somehow had to revitalize fragoso coming to memphis was not an ideal time for him. And add a critical moment. So as its subtitled the time at 1033 in the morning until he is assassinated at six oh 1 00 p. M. The next day. 6 01 p. M. First it refers to his resolve in order to restore the nonviolent leader. Second refers to a promise that the federal government had made to all americans. And to get from the declaration of independence. With life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And to the christian concept that jesus sacrifice himself in order to save or redeem all of humanity. And then apply that to his own life. Even to the point of death. And in the pursuit of economic and Racial Justice to have value in the christian sense. So how is it that going to memphis to intervene that the dispute between management thats an odd thing to do for that purpose. Launching the Poor Peoples Campaign. He was inspired by the bonus march 1932 this was a protest of world war i veterans converging on washington and an early payment of a bonus it was during the depression they were in financial straits and they appeal to congress and president herbert hoover. Right away. But then things can go very wel well. Hoover ordered the army that king nonetheless thought to serve as a model of what they aim to do for the Poor People Campaign. And and the civil disobedience thousands of people of congressional offices that would and poverty ending poverty once and for all and building a case for that legislation they proposed and soon exhibit a was the strike in protest. He figured with the spotlight the very issues he was raising and that he should do that. So what is happening with the strike in memphis. How did it start . The garbage workers in memphis those low wages and those dreadful working conditions with joe warren and Taylor Rogers who talk about the grievances that they had. So the workers decided to start local 1733 of the American Federation they brought their grievances to the city. So they were planning to strike in the summer of 1968. So talking about the timing and the morning of january 31st the black workers in the department of public works the white workers were kept on the job and repaid for a full days work. On the next day february 1st 2 of the garbage workers took refuge in the back of the truck like the one you see here out of the rain a chemical goal malfunction activated the camp actor one compactor putting the two men into the jaws and it killed both of them. So these backtoback events with the Racial Disparity in the workers on january 31st and the horrific death the next day but the Union Leaders decided the time was right to strike. So they called the strike on february 12th. And 1100 of the 1200 garbage workers, it did not take long, just a matter of days that started with a labor dispute over a major racial confrontation. And the workers quickly adopted the slogan but in the jim crow south that africanamerican men often were not addressed by their last name. They were often called boy instead of man. And then to have a deepseated complaint of the racial bigotry and the time that the workers in the street collected the garbage. And then virtually were all black. And then to reach an impasse and then to take a very hard line. And his thinking was simple. It is against the laws of tennessee for Public Employees for the garbage workers to strike and i am not negotiating with lawbreakers. And with those strikers only when they return to their jobs. And in those months before. And then responding to life constituency to take a strike. One of the closest friends the methodist minister named gray was with the mayor during the strike. And that was tunnel vision. And he meant to do the right thing but was taking a very legalistic approach. But then those large forces are at work with the social political landscape. And that is selfexpression. So we try to persuade the mayor to take a look. And to be frustrated and what he tried to do with his account. [inaudible] [inaudible] but for the people that were applauding it. But that you cannot strike against the city of memphis. Once the replacement workers were on the job and to pick up a large amount of the trash and it soon became apparent so some leaders of the Africanamerican Community decided they needed to bring king to memphis. And then to address the rally and it would spotlight their plight and bring pet one pressure on the mayor. So the invitation went to king and then on the right and sue say vehemently it would be a mistake. And that it would distract him from the Political Campaign and the political moment that he is afraid one strike of the 22 and that would lead to three. But king was not persuaded. But then so is happening in memphis and that i need to go down there. And then to say they are people with fulltime work and parttime wages. And to be a stop on the way to washington. Here is what andrew young has to say about about king and himself whether he should accept the invitation. He said they just want to come down and preach. But its about people just like this. But then to get up at 4 00 oclock in the morning and then plan to meet us back in washington. But when the riot occurred. After getting to the hotel starts a meeting in earnest with people in memphis, the ministers the group and others to have support for the march that he is planning on the following monday. That night he delivers in the mountaintop speech that you have heard about, it is a wellknown speech. You dont know if it would be as well remembered if he wasnt assassinated the next day but i think it was one of the most moving speeches. He talks about dying a violent death and coming to terms of that. And then to do so more openly in the emotional way that he has ever done before. Sorry about that. Wait a minute. I may not get there but i want you to know tonight. They know the last line. And then to avow him of the republic. And to sacrifice ourselves to free american slaves, you have to think but then to consider that his mood was that he was thinking about his own mortality. So mean whale one meanwhile James Earl Ray arrived in memphis. And to keep the introduction as brief as possible, but i will say that and to describe his actions on april 3rd and 4th 1958 and the uncanny series of lucky breaks that enabled king one enabled ray to murder king. So the next day on april 4th at the lorraine motel, he meets with some aids. He is in a melancholy mood. They figured he was sorting through all the troubles and challenges that he faced at the time. s motel was on the second floor. Opening to a balcony. At 6 00 oclock he exits the room and is invited to dinner at the house of the local minister. He goes to the balcony and talks to some of his aides were down in the parking lot below. And then to go across the street in the rooming house. The bullet strikes keying on the right side of the face. He drops instantly to the floor of the balcony. The ambulance rushes him tuesday Josephs Hospital and he is pronounced dead at seven oh 5 00 p. M. So how shall we im sure many of you have your ideas. And then i was intrigued especially by what you might call his personal odyssey. And wasnt always destined in his mind to be a civilrights candidate. At least not in the way to dedicate his life. And in Montgomery Alabama to study at boston university. And he saw himself at that time to be a preacher or a theologian its not of a National Figure or champion on the National Stage of the Civil Rights Movement and with the bus boycott and was catapulted to the national spotlight. One event led to the other. His commitment deepened so by 1968 he saw himself in different terms to define himself. And at the time in 1968 to speak out passively against the vietnam war, and advocating of what people would consider a radical program to end poverty once and for all. And doing all that as a controversial figure all the while knowing his life to a greater and greater degree. Anything you say they have to repeat that. So the reference to the sabbatical the interim pastor in new york city would fulfill a dream as in residence but he turned the invitation down and was determined with those causes that were dear to him. And to give questions to respond and then to open up the conversation to all of you. Thank you. [applause] good evening. We enjoyed the presentation. The night that doctor king was assassinated maybe they had that in wikipedia but they remember that evening very vividly. I was actually in my hometown of jackson tennessee. My sister was getting married two days later was supposed to get married in memphis and then at the last minute went to jackson. There was a wedding in the evening so i was preoccupied with that so i was shocked and distressed and concerned and how it would be with the Civil Rights Movement. But then that was two days later. And then it happened to be my fathers 36 birthday. My mother was in the kitchen cutting the birthday cake and my father was in the bedroom. And she started screaming. I looked on tv it just said bulletin. But i couldnt figure out what was going on at the same time i heard my grandmother downstairs scream as well. And my mother ran in from the kitchen and looked at the tv and just sank down into the chair. It sticks in my mind the way it does its the first time i ever saw my parents cry. The house went into a weird hysteria. And the silence felt like it lasted for days and days. I dont know if my parents had been so it will upset if that would be a memory. That so many books have been written about king so what made you to focus on that. So i did read the biographies but i thought it would bring up the closeup narrative and the way no one else had done. And to paint a portrait of king if they could see what his actions were in the last few hours of his life in memphis. So he was under enormous pressure and with those circumstances surrounding told you something more from any of the other works that were out there. That we have these frozen images with the selma and montgomery march but at the end of 1968. He has changed quite markedly and was only emphasizing the kind of campaign that preoccupied him for the first decade of his civil rights activism with desegregation and Voting Rights act in the south. But he pivoted only not only champing new causes but his tactics were changing more confrontational and willing to engage in mass civil disobedience. That he was going to the Nations Capital in a direct way that was different. That doesnt sit well with all of his supporters either. Within the larger civilrights community that would distract attention from civil rights and was mixing the two causes and to promote civil rights and also people thought it was a mistake and that it would backfire these are some of the closest aides at the Leadership Conference to say there was already a protest against the vietnam war against the inner cities of america and only harden the resistance to the Civil Rights Movement leaving to law and order candidates to that election that was scheduled for the very year. So that was part of internal discord. But then to see an ally. And then expecting king to get loyal to him. And then to shepherd the civil rights legislation but in the act of 1965. People thought keying owed him allegiance but by then it was Lyndon Johnsons war and the fear was that he would no longer be an ally of the Civil Rights Movement and is extremely unhappy. So even with the black community that the movement was getting to water down and that the focus should have been the initial mission and then to talk about the Poor People Campaign but then to affect africanamerican is in that part of the Overall Mission quick. We did talk about poverty and Economic Justice that his focus was on racial bigotry in the south. He was laser focused so the civil right movement who thought the mission should be tightly focused on civil rights until 1967. He had moved to the north which was fine to proceed to fight for africanamerican rights and the more narrow issues of Economic Advancement and not to seek a broad federal response. So that part of the book where he says you cant even afford to buy a hamburger so that you have to fight for civil rights but that is broader if people didnt see that. Exact quote was what is the profit of man to sit at a desegregated lunch counter if he cannot earn enough to pay for a hamburger and a cup of coffee. That is typical of the clever witticisms he would have to make a point. Yes he moved to that issue of Economic Justice. Its easy to forget he was only 39 years old that he was tired. He had been through a lot almost his whole life in the public eye but. He is exhausted. And those exertions to take a toll he was hospitalized several times for exhaustion and was especially worn out april 1968 because he was on the road all over the country speaking at a pace and he was not speak sleeping well. He was smoking too much. Often he was not feeling well. But yet he was Going Forward with remarkable stamina. Something i found interesting in the book and that gives extra attention because they are so young but king had his own motives to mobilize people especially in birmingham. Talk about that. They were afraid they could expose these children to real harm. They expected a brutal response from the police so there was the risk of injury in those High School Kids that joined him. But birmingham became a morality because you see the young people who were being attacked by police dogs and spreading by fire hoses and that was on the evening news on television and would have an impact. And it actually did have a powerful influence on the American Public to see those scenes unfold. Its also the idea of the social movement. Some background so they can judge for themselves and he came from an extraordinarily poor dysfunctional background. He went to school in dirty clothes, his mother was an alcoholic, they left the family and so on and so forth and so i dont know, i dont want to draw any conclusions from anyones background. It raises intelligence to try to evaluate for themselves where this guy came from and why he might have done what he did. She held a people that put the gun but he hadnt actually injured anyone how lucky he had 28 could be to make it all to fall into place so he could actually shoot. We want to make those illusions, leave it up to you. You dont do in the book is getting to the conspiracy theories that have been strung around for half a century the investigative officers and i just didnt think i could bring anything new to it. I am satisfied that he told king. I dont know if we will ever know for sure if there were conspirators. They said perhaps this brothers may have helped him in some way, but they were never able to prove that to their satisfacti satisfaction. So, i thought it was kind of rather cold and i didnt think id would emerge from it or have anything particularly to say about it. Talk about this decision that we are not going to replay the speech of try to go deeper. The answer is in order to quote a lot of the speech i would have had to have a copyright license from the king state. They are not free granting the copyright licenses. So, i did ask for license and it wasnt granted us up and i wasnt able to quote very many word