Still A Long Way To Go

The unofficial theme of the commemoration of the assassination of Martin Luther King in Memphis seemed to be, "We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go."  Hard to disagree with that.

Coincidental location in Memphis on April 4th provided an opportunity to view the proceedings. 

The Lorraine Motel, now part of the National Civil Rights Museum,
was the site of the commemoration.

As the banner suggests,
this was more a statement of current position
than a well-defined course of action.

The second story balcony, occupied by the black-draped speaker's podium
was the site of the the assassination.

1968 Joseph Louw
http://time.com/3749091/mlk-assassination-photograph/

The triggerman for the paid "hit" was captured and jailed,
but the law-enforcement repercussions went no further.

A crowd of thousands gathered,
but not so many that movement was restricted. 

A cheer went up from the mostly African-American attendees
when recorded remarks from President Obama were presented on the big screens.

Not everyone was interested in the speeches.

Many groups and families documented the event with photography.

One does not often see so many law enforcement motorcycles in one place.
This was one of multiple lineups.

The bell rang 39 times, one for each year of Dr. King's all-too-short life.

Echoing a theme from the 60's,
many captured pictures of themselves in front of this mural.