Volume Volume 127 123 No. No.34 20–22
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March 31, 2018 - March 31, 2018, The Afro-American A1 $2.00
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MARCH 31, 2018 - APRIL 6, 2018
April 16, 1968
50 Years After the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. By Frances “Toni” Draper CEO/Publisher The AFRO-American Newspapers
April 6, 1968
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April 13, 1968
April 20, 1968
“I charge every colored citizen with the responsibility of looking into himself and examining his motives in order to see if he’s done enough for the cause of freedom.” Mrs. Iris Redmon wrote these words in the April 13, 1968 edition of the AFRO, in the wake of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.in Memphis, Tenn. For several days after Dr. King’s death, Baltimore, and the country were convulsed with grief, rage and a search for answers. Fifty years have passed since that fateful day on April 4, 1968. In this special edition, the AFRO has reached back into our expansive archives and reprinted a few of the exclusive stories from that tumultuous time. In this edition, we also take a look at how the civil rights movement is changing, and how organizations like the National Council of Churches (NCC) are committing to finishing the work. To that end, on April 4, NCC is hosting a Rally to End Racism on the National In 1968, MallI inwasWashington, a young college D.C. student
April 6, 1968
Dr. Martin Luther King (center).
April 9, 1968
Your History • Your Community • Your News
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Civil rights leaders pose in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington DC, August 28, 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is second from right in the front row.
April 9, 1968
April 6, 1968
living in a world divided on so many fronts. There were rising racial tensions, sit-ins on college campuses, protests against the Vietnam War, raised fists and loud voices chanting “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.” And, in 2018, we are still a nation on edge with the senseless killings of too many young African Americans, with White supremacy on the rise and a White House occupant who has done nothing to either unify the country or to advance the cause of civil rights. As you read these pages and reflect on where we are 50 years later, I challenge all of us to register to vote, encourage others to register and then go to the polls. We must let our voices be heard. We cannot afford to let another 50 years go by. #Staywoke.
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