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Long before Martin Luther King Day was a thing of pageants, speeches and photo ops long before it was a thing at all Al Holmes had his own celebration. On that day, Jan. 15, he and his friends would cross Main Street in Asbury Park, going east, into the white section of town. They would head over to Cookman Avenue, and walk into a store. And there, they would … buy something. They treated us like crap when we came in, Holmes said. But we didn t object to the treatment. We didn t voice it out loud. We didn t cause a disturbance. All we did was get what we wanted to get. Most of the time, it was something we could get someplace cheaper. Just to prove a point. ....
Morris L. Smith, 87, retired chemist, inventor and civil rights leader Melanie Burney, The Philadelphia Inquirer When an assassin killed the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, Lawnside School Board President Morris L. Smith acted quickly to pay homage to the civil rights leader in his South Jersey community. Five days after King was slain, the school district, led by Mr. Smith, adopted a resolution to make King’s Jan. 15 birthday a holiday, commencing in 1969. Lawnside was believed to be the first municipality to commemorate the day, 14 years before it was declared a federal holiday. Mr. Smith, 87, an activist who championed civil rights and diversity, an inventor, a chemist and engineer, a community leader, and a Sunday school teacher, died Wednesday, Dec. 9, at his Lawnside home of complications from colon cancer. ....
Morris L. Smith, retired chemist, inventor, and civil rights leader, dies at 87 inquirer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inquirer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.