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History professor reflects on MLK Jr. at National Civil Rights Museum

April 16, 2018

History professor reflects on MLK Jr. at National Civil Rights Museum

The 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination served as a time of reflection and deep emotion for those gathered at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4. At the very site where King was shot, speakers recalled his legacy of peacemaking and nonviolence, including associate professor of history Hasan Kwame Jeffries.

Jeffries, who has been a faculty member in the Department of History since 2003, is an expert in African-American history. Jeffries also served as the lead historian and primary script writer for the recent $27.5 million renovation at the National Civil Rights Museum.

These renovations are meant to tell the truth about King’s life and death, Jeffries said in his speech at the 50th anniversary event. He also said the exhibits tell the truth about the black past and America’s present.

“Our charge was to get the history of the freedom movement right, and that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t freeze Dr. King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, dreaming about how black children one day might be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin,” Jeffries said in his speech. “Instead we explained how, in his final days, he helped organize a national campaign to end poverty, how he gave his life, right here in Memphis, fighting alongside black sanitation workers because Dr. King understood that all labor had dignity.” 

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History professor Hasan Jeffries spoke at the @NCRMuseum on the 50th anniversary of MLK Jr.’s assassination. #ASCDaily


Jeffries said that it was an honor to share his insights at the event. In the days following, he still finds it hard to wrap his mind around the enormity of the moment.

“To be able to reflect publicly on the meaning of Dr. King’s life and death, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his assassination, at the very site where he took his last breath, was profoundly humbling,” Jeffries said.

My hope is that my words touched a responsive chord with those who made the pilgrimage to that sacred site that day and those who tuned in from around the world.”

Jeffries' speech is included in the video below and begins around 5:11:25. He was also quoted on the subject in a recent Columbus Dispatch article.

Hannah Smith, fourth-year journalism major

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