Martin Luther Kings jr Death and the Civil Rights Movement Essay Example

place in more than 100 cities because of the death of Dr. King. It resulted in more than 40 deaths and multiple property damage. The activists knew this wasn’t the end for them because they had been taught the discipline of non-violence. Many of them decided to concentrate on the anti-war, women’s and labor movement. This was something that Dr. King was working towards for economic equality.

Unfortunately, Dr. King’s death created a lot of negative backlash in many cities across America. The Afro-American community was angry. In NYC there were riots, looting and violence. The Mayor at that time, John Lindsay was able to cool down the situation a little because he apologized to them and began to interact with the residents. Washington DC was another story. They began rioting the same day of the assassination. So many buildings were burned that the National Guard and Marines had to be called in to help. Pres. Lyndon Johnson at that time imposed a series of Acts in hopes of improving conditions for the Black community. One was the Fair Housing Act of which Congress passed. In 1965, LA and Watts already had major problems within their community. They rejected the non-violent approach. The many continuous riots and violence caused lost jobs, crime increased, property de-valued and it caused more economic heartbreak. Peter Goldman wrote a short article in black America,1969 stating “We in a War –Or Haven’t Anybody Told You That? He talked about how after King’s death white America started to riot in the ghetto and any black slum in the nation. Also, after king’s assassination started a coast to coast rebellion. Goldman stated that

“more than 200 people, most of them blacks, died in the streets; that at least 10,000 were injured and 60,000 arrested and black neighborhoods were burned down”. The riots began in Harlem and it was important for social and psychic damage. They rioted in communities that didn’t believe in violence as a form of protest. Black people seen the white people rioting as a crime but rioted themselves out of black anger.

Rev. John Brooks a professor at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Ma. decided to continue the mission of Dr, King’s dream of having an Integrated Society. He recruited young Afro-American men to attend that school. He had no idea that he was recruiting future Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, Pulitzer Prize recipient Edward P. Jones and Stanley Grayson, Finance Commissioner of NYC. Attending school here was not an easy task for these young men. They almost quit over the school’s administrative handling of Afro-American anti-war issues. This era was a very confusing, troubling and angry time in history. These young men had a lot in common. They shared the same struggles where they came from and formed a deep bond by comforting and sharing visions with each other, a bond that is said to still be in effect to this day.