Resources to Remember: On the Anniversaries of Martin Luther King Jr. & Walter Scott’s Killings

Walter Scott and MLK

It’s been 52 years since Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and five years since the Walter Scott killing. Here are two resources to help you pause and reflect in the wake of these tragic deaths. What do we learn about God? About ourselves and the racialized societies we live in? How might we respond, and what shall we resolve to do? Lament seems like good work to do in the wake of deaths like these, and the work of remembering is no small task, either.

Resource 1: Podcast with John Perkins

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Fifty years later to the day, I sat with Dr. John Perkins, an 89-year-old civil rights activist, a few blocks from where Dr. King was killed.  There, Iheard Perkins’ reflections on race and the church in light of his work and MLK Jr.’s legacy. Sit on our conversation and pray along with us.

Resource 2: Spoken Word Poem: “Not the Dream”

Here’s a poem I did on the 50-year anniversary of MLK Jr.’s assassination, in which I reflect on his dream for America, Walter Scott’s death, and his mother’s gospel hope.