Witness To Martin Luther King Assassination Speaks Out For First Time | TODAY
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a woman who was present for Dr. King’s final moments is sharing her story for the very first time. TODAY’s Craig Melvin speaks with her exclusively at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which stands on the site of the assassination.
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Witness To Martin Luther King Assassination Speaks Out For First Time | TODAY
I’m so sorry for not only this woman’s pain, but for all of the pain felt by everyone in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. passed. When she was asked ‘why did you not think he was going to die’ and she said, “he can’t...” that was because Marin represented the hopes and dreams for millions of people going into the future. Some people tried to end that, but they failed. It never ended with King. God Bless everyone and I hope we can all continue to learn the lessons and seek the better and brighter future that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr wanted for everyone.
Dr.King still had a heartbeat when he arrived at the prepared hospital they had planned to take him to..it WAS there he was spit unpon and smothered with a pillow
by a doctor working for THE CIA 🇺🇸👴🏻🕵😈
Well said and blessings to you as well.
Let me repeat what they said, "Owned the hotel".
EXACTLY!!! I SAID THE SAME THING!!!
Yes, you heard right. That was not the only blak owned motel.
We had it all at one time. prior to integration and desegregation .Those two things is what killed our black economy.
@@keving52002 Dr King said it himself "my dream is becoming a nightmare".
We(Afro Americans) owned so much more before hateful, envious, and degenerate whites came burning things down, extorting, and undercutting our efforts.
When she broke down in tears after holding these memories for so long, I just wanted to console her, hold her and hug her, and have her just let it out. I was blown away by her memories of Dr. King. To actually serve him his meals, and to be able to actually be there throughout the entire course of the day leading to that horrible chain of events. Her story was powerful and she just made me tear up.
Who else has visited the museum 🙋🏽♀️ my great grandfather marched with Dr. King and my grandmother worked at the motel at one point of time . Visiting the site gave me the most eerie vibes, seeing his last meal and the balcony preserved but it also sparked a sense of pride in me for being black and made me walk with head high through the rest of it .
@rik michael Actually, this really interests me. Can you tell me more about that?
I visited as a child with my church.
I to this day was close to visiting the church bombing that killed the 4 girls but was ill just from being frantic..So my best regards to this Lady. Wonder what happened to the guys that were near Dr. King. I need to do my research
Oh my goodness, I felt that eerie vibe also, and I'm never ever going to visit that place ever again.
Can you tell me if the museum is still open and where it is, please. I'm a South African; I would love to tour it one day. God bless Dr. King.
When she started getting emotional and crying that really got to me. What an amazing story. ❤️
S Burch I went to the Lorraine like 10 years ago. I was on a layover at the airport in Memphis and I said lemme catch a cab to the Lorraine while I can. I may never be here again. I got there and it was closed!!! It’s soooo small. Like a Motel 6. So I just stepped over the wall and ran up to a Room 306 and stood there. Wow. What a rush! And then security came running out and yelling at me and I ran back down and jumped into my waiting taxi and went back to the airport...I was like 25 years old...and it was powerful.
It's ALL IN THE NAME OF HISTORY!!! 🖤
Yess
Why are YOU crying?
Cry For What? white Europeans was the only one's to prosper off this man's death
THE PEOPLE WHO PLOTTED HIS MURDER WILL ONE DAY HAVE TO ANSWER TO A HIGHER POWER ( MY BELIEF) AND WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDINGLY
AMEN!!! You can't i don't believe in God your way out of the judgement of God!!! We all will have are appointment!!!
Amen🙏
Should have been a eye for a eye
Ohhh they definitely will!
Sharon Valentine, that is true
Tell the whole truth. He died in the hospital, smothered by a doctor.
Can you tell me where I can find that story?? Please
Shannon Henderson *doctor disrespected him. He told other doctors to get out the room, spit on king and smothered him with a pillow.*
YeaItsDerrick true
Anna Waller nope his wife proved it and sued the hospital and won Lmao they wouldn’t pay out if they weren’t guilty
wolfie lex uh the doctor was someting like dr drew something
I loved how this brother took the time out to embrace miss Mary with consoling here with empathy as she had her emotional momemt in remembrance. Kudos Sir!🙌🏽 Much Love & Respect!💯%
Rest In Peace Dr. King, forever grateful for putting our freedom above your own life. A great man....
You may not know the real truth of him. But I heard more thanks to him from you, than all of the rest concerning the gift of life he gave all of us a a black person.
Surely he laid down his life on behalf of many.
@James Redic martin in his last few months started to switch roles with malcolm and the same goes for malcolm in his last few months becoming more like martin
@@robertclayborne9750 p) tight I'm being attacked by leopards
@kttanderson1 amen i agree. RIP MLK🌹🙌
I really wish white folks could have gone thru the exact same torture that we did and see how they would made out
Mr freeman there was white folks marching with Dr King it was his dream to be United
@@fernandosanson1853 he said before he died he made a mistakes..."I fear I have lead my people into a burning building and they won't make it out"
Fernando Sanson They were in the minority.
Dont worrie brother ,there day is right around the corner .
Kevin Freeman Good points.
When she broke down in tears, I got a little water-eyed myself. The enormity of finally speaking to people about something-let alone, historically tragic- out, after bottling it up so many years....
How traumatic for this young lady. How could you not have PTSD FROM THIS . WHAT A LOSS. THANK YOU DR KING
Sick of seeing my people cry 😡😡😡😡😡🤬💔😫
Ty Thomas so because they are black it matters when they are crying?
Me too
Amen...amen
@@lizzyfall7045 you need to fall back... really... fall back, chic.
Ellera Newman don’t tell me what I need to do. I’m half black myself I just don’t get it. It just sounds so odd to me. That logic is so odd.
Nobody can tell me this woman’s life wasn’t threatened.
FACTS !
Why would it be when she's lying about him dying at the motel,he died at the hospital after being suffocated
@@remo900rr Sometimes official records aren’t the truth, it turns out. Wild I know! /s
@@remo900rr She didn’t say he died at the hotel
@O 94 Shannon Henderson doctor disrespected him. He told other doctors to get out the room, spit on king and smothered him with a pillow.
Her bottled up pain hit me.
I felt it,God bless her.
Her silence will be rewarded.
A Special Lady.
She's making me cry I feel her pain Martin Luther King he endured so much so much so much he was such a great man....😥😓😭
The Lorraine Motel is a museum
She kept quiet because she seen who really did it
J D did u see the pic
Shut up you white that’s why you say that .
Ohh really, well, tell us who it was! I'll wait...
Why is she telling now? What is different about now? The FBI and CIA all of a sudden do not exist!
and wouldn't live that long probably, if she spoke
I'm more amazed about black people owning a motel in the 60's😀😃😄
Terrence Head Fact: Believe it or not more black people had ownership of business doing those days then they do now.
@@lindac1152 amazing!!!
This was during Segregation. Black people owned their own business and schools then, we had so much economical power. That's precisely why they used King who was a Boule chosen man to try and end segregation. The powers that be could not have us being independent. After Segregation ended we lost that foothold and almost all black owned business disappeared. When then became dependent upon others, and gave our finances away to "white" America. The same people that hated us a few years prior. It might sound strange but we could have basically been our own nation within a nation. We gave it all away
.
Chaves Simford Lynda u took the words right outta my mouth!!! Not to mention Black Wall Street
Martin was only 5 feet 6 and a half inches tall. But, he had a heart, soul, integrity, character and bravery bigger than any man twice his size.
judge joe brown = VLAD TV for the truth ! a life changing story !
I was 5 when Dr. King was murdered but I quickly learn about him in elementary school. His story was very heart breaking. And still today.
He was killed exactly one year after he first spoke out against the war in Vietnam.
MuhfugginMike He started talking about black people setting up their own bank. Plus he began to wonder about whether desegregation was a good idea or not because he realised that they had been disaggregated into a population that hated them. The government only agreed to desegregation in order to turn black people into a consumer only population, to ensure maximum profit.
“I Fear I May Have Integrated My People Into a Burning House” - Martin Luther King Jr.
thehoneyeffect Yep! He also started to speak on reparations for black ppl too! ESPECIALLY when he found out the US government gave millions in housing, land, and education to white ppl to help them out of poverty!
@@laurencameron3150
Absolutely....he was killed when he talked about the redistribution of wealth and resources amongst blacks......
When he spoke out against Vietnam that was his doom. He had too big of a platform and people were starting to listen. He basically got killed for stating what is now an obvious truth. The Vietnam war was a huge mistake that killed or injured over 100 thousand people in the US. Most of which were poor people drafted to be collateral damage for a cause no one is still clear on today.
Mark Dudley exactly my grandpa was in Vietnam and til this day he says it was a conflict not a war he was a staff sgt and had no clue why he was there
And Martin Luther King didn't die on the scene...... he (was killed) died at the hospital.
I would like to see his autopsy that would definitely let us know
Morris Chinn yep 👆🏽👆🏽👆🏽
Who said he did?
Yup he was suffocated with a pillow
He lost consciousness when the bullet entered his right cheek
I can just imagine how overwhelming that had to be for her to be there at that moment when that tragic moment happened. Thank you for sharing your story.
Remembering this sad day still brings tears!!! Thanks for sharing Ms. Ford's memory and this important time in history. God bless her!!!
I felt her pain and felt pure compassion for her having to relive such a horrid yet historical moment in time
That was beautiful of the journalist to comfort her the way he did
Made me tear up
I will always remember that day. I was 4 years old in kindergarten. The sky was gray and I remembered my teacher telling me “it’s a sad day”. We were sent home early. I had on my favorite dress it was tan with a brown belt. My mother was very involved in politics. She tried to explain to me who he was and why he was killed. I never could understand it in my 4 year old mind. Years later we visited The Loraine Motel. It is an amazing museum that covers the civil rights movement. You are allowed on the ledge, but the room MLK was in is encased in glass. I am grateful for all the sacrifices he made. His life made a difference for all of us today.
❤
I’m sure she felt like “who am I in this Big story...” A witness. But it won’t bring him back... Dr. King so greatly missed.
They should reopen the Trayvon Martin case,his civil liberties were violated.
oleboy78 and now George Zimmerman is trying to sue his family go figure..🤷🏽♂️
yvonnia mcdonald George Zimmerman is the epitome of a complete asshat.
He was profiled, stalked, assaulted, kidnapped(apprehended by an adult with the intent to obstruct him from going home), &murdered!
My heart is with my good sister. Dr King is a prominent figure in the black community. In school he is the first important activist I was taught about in school. So tragic to witness his assassination. Great man! We know you tried Dr King and did so much for generations to come. Children be encourage to learn about those that paved the way. Rip Dr King
Wow, I appreciate her sharing this powerful moment of history. 🕯🤴🏾🕯
This hurt our country more than any other assassination in our history. 😥
This made me cry.
Wow what a historic interview. It hit me in the heart. Still sad to this day.
And this is exactly why WE all need to tell our stories. Something like this type of trauma should never be held inside!! Gotta talk to each other yall!!
Have a story to tell unlike this woman who added absolutely zilch to the story except she was there.
That just breaks my heart. That poor woman... his poor family, such a wonderful man he was. I think the hospital finished him off and it breaks my heart how evil people are.
The fact that people are still alive is crazy, just comes to show how fast time flies yet seems like just yesterday that the 60s were here
Bless Her Heart.. Wonderful Story.
I'm still stuck on the part that said they (as in blacks) owned a hotel in the 60's during the civil rights movement!! WOW!! It's a national civil rights musuem now! I want to know when did they sell it and for how much?! Such a moving story.
dzire89 you must be a young person. Blacks owned a lot of business back in the day. It was segregated then. We had our own hotels/motels, banks, insurance companies, movie theatres, taxicabs, gas stations, hair care products etc... and other black owned businesses. We had numerous restaurants, barbershops/ beauty salons which we still are holding on to this day.
We used to own most of the black neighborhood businesses. In the early 1970s, they started bringing Middle Easterners into our neighborhoods. We were refused business licenses. Now everything in black neighborhoods is either big franchise-owned or Arab-owned. I think a lot of this was in retaliation for the riots following Dr. King's death.
Why did they refuse to give business licenses?
Tulsa, Rosewood , Harlem , Educate yourself and stop believing what white people tell you
@@jaktil9246 It should be obvious to you by now because of our skin color and success THINK Think
Thank you Craig for calling her Ms Maryellen. I hate to hear reporters calling seniors by their first name, thanks for the respect.
I'm from Memphis and this makes me so sad for my home town that our prophet was murdered there.
Bless her heart & bless the interviewer for showing sincere compassion!!!!!
EXACTLY OWNING A BLACK MOTEL IN THE 60'S EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE.... LET'S DO THAT NOW AND MORE IN 2019👌🏾👍🏾✊🏾💪🏾🙏🏾☝🏾✌🏾
Let's pray to God and get In the numb Before Jesuß come. This world is not our home. We so STUPID
I’m so glad she got to tell it before she passes away…
To God Be The Glory…
I wish I can meet this woman! I can feel her positive and her mix emotional through this interview! God bless y’all
I wish I knew her
Every time i hear about this story I think about my great-grandpa we call him Bone Daddy. He was part of Sanitation crew in Memphis who was doing the protesting. I don't think ppl will ever understand the emotional impact this had on him and the rest of them who was protesting. You go thru so many things and emotions and even blame yourself for a while. The stories my family has and have pass down is unbelievable and heartbreaking but you have to keep living for next generation #RIP MLK #RIP BoneDaddy
May both their souls rest in peace.
You can tell these young overpriveledged youth by their comments
A.P.E. Fitness Movement young and woke
AMEN AMEN AMEN
No one here black is overprivileged
@@BeastmodeBeats Maybe not over privileged, but definitely lacking education.
She is extremely brave & beautiful inside and out.♥️🖤 We love you endlessly Queen.
Absolutely blk prescious pearl. Still look an sound 21 welcome to mi queen. Guidanc an protection
He changed A NATION he HAD ALREADY did his Job ... R.I.P KING
Did the nation really change? .....Well never mind.
@@kennthkenneth7031 YES
@@KLASSCULTURE I agree with you....if MLK would have been alive today....he would have been one of our great Presidents....he was an accomplished man for all people....the world was a better place because of him....RIP....MLK.
@@louiscaruso4167 facts ... A great human being
@@kennthkenneth7031 Maybe not the change your taking about , not the biggest world wide change but he changed it and showed us stop being ignorant about being black and white, he definitely rocked the boat !
Thank you ma’am for telling your story to us. Much respect and rest in power Dr King JR.
He was a powerful man that led us with his strong words and peacefulness,Rip Dr .Martin Luther King
That touched my soul that he stopped being a reporter for a second to help console her. That is the marks of a very good journalist the ability to show empathy instead of only being focused on getting answers.
Great interview I'm so glad she shared her story, God bless her ❤️
I never would have suspected that Dr. King was a cigarette smoker.
Yesss if you ever visit Memphis go to the Lorraine Hotel And they give you a tour us his Room with the Cigarettes in the ashtray pretty dope
It kinda burst my bubble. I kinda thought, "That does it. If a respectable man like MLK felt an insatiable need to light up under all that pressure, then maybe that's what I need to do"...LOL
Clarence Hodges - he was also a womanizer who often cheated on his wife which was even more shocking to me!!
I’ve seen Gospel Quartet Singers do an A & B selection, then walk out onto the Church ground and fire up a Cigarette, whatever the denomination, what’s smoking gotta do with it?
Nobody's perfect but God
I thank that woman for sharing her story. ❤ It is part of our history....then, now, and forever.
What story, she told us nothing.
Yeah, we know they like hamburgers now. 🙄
For what’s going on today, this is NOT what Dr. King Died for 👎🏾😡!!! RIP 🙏🏾🙏🏾 king
History is amazing and the fact that we have people from that time to share it.
This
Y'all comments so irritating . Man it don't matter if she was a witness or not . The fact that she shared tht memory with us says alot. .
She is a national treasure!
YES. HE WAS SHOT. BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY KILLED IN THE HOSPITAL! EVERYTHING IS OUT IN THE OPEN.
Not many people know that he was murdered in the hospital. They suffocated him with a pillow
@@johnathanadams3463 is this really true facts?
@@johnathanadams3463 Lay off the drugs, Johnboy. Actually, it was a "My pillow." You now buy them online. :)
This lady has a delightful and peaceful disposition! God Bless!
Who was there with a camera? Wtf
The same people who just HAPPEN to catch all other historical moments in "history "
The dudes who never got credit for landing on the moon, before Apollo, never got credit. (you know... The camera men).
And crazy part... The dudes who took the moon landing and departure footage... Were left there to die unsung.
Conspiracy Sarcasm.
The whole story seems a bit off; like most "historical" events.
Don't question anything; you'll be safer and more sane...in the end. :(
@Taqeem Hilton
No. Zapruder was the cameraman on the moon before and after the Apollo mission. They labeled him as dead in 1970...because they assumed, he had to run out of air by then. :)
Exactly
@@babaduke3298 Good one bro, lol
Good question
The mafia doctor actually suffocated Martin Luther king In the hospital room AND spit in his face.
Every DOG has it's day.
Spit? Any DNA?
supermike2164 I get so tired of us coming up with undocumented conspiracies. Stop the Negativity sheesh!!!
Where’s the DNA?
@@valerieherron8974 czcams.com/video/ACh5ph0hwAc/video.html
That’s awful to witness something so tragic. Dr King was a wonderful man.
He smile is everything 💖stay strong🙏🏽RIP Dr King forever in our hearts 😇#LLDK 🕊
I remember being 12 years old living with my parents in NYC when i heard it on the news of King's death the image of them pointing on the balcony with King lying on the ground will be forever edge in my mind, Mary Louise Hunt the 18 year old girl on the balcony has since died of cancer RIP.
He didn't die there he was smothered to death at the hospital #fax look it up
Atlanta Ga by the CIA
Poka Jones I just said that thank you!! People really need to do some research 🤦🏾♀️
Where's a link I need that
Let's work together to upload truth if only one do it the Giants of today will oppress the truth
Where is info on this?
Great story, thank you! I love you on Dateline too.
Thank u 💓 for sharing your story ❤❤❤😢
Never forgotten 😘
God bless that beautiful woman !! Great interview
Rest In Peace The Great Late Dr Martin Luther King Jr ❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏
candy apple Indeed
I still cry about this wonderful man being taken away...I pray he’s resting peacefully...🙌🏾🙏🏾😢
Wow 70 something God bless you for giving your part of understanding.!!😞😶😔👍
We need a nation of our own
Star Scream the Kingdom to come will be our again .(Israel is our nation) .
@@chaasad7921 Please stop.
Star Scream GOCC Royal Priesthood...check it out at aGATHERING144
Jesus is the way , the truth and the life . He will come again !
Bless her. The pain doesn't go away
It must of been a relief to finally rid this long and tedious burden that weighs heavily upon the shoulders of this amazing woman no one but GOD can rid the heaviest burden glory Hallelujah in the name of Jesus Christ it is finished.
We heaped so much hope in this man's ability and then to have him taken from us. I can understand her pain and anguish. Here was a man who preached humanity and nonviolence, stolen away from us by a bullet, and we were called brutes and lesser people among other things. It cuts deeply.
This made me cry. Poor woman.
I wish I had the privilege of being alive around the time dr king was. I wish I could have attended at least one of his speeches. Such a selfless man. R.i.p Dr king. ❤
U sure? Most of this generation can't even take the abuse that's going on now. To be alive there, 99% of millenials would curl up in the fetal position and stay in bed and never come out. .
This is the most weak and fragile generation known to man kind. So are you sure you could have handled being alive then?
@@jennieredrose5819 I'm sure they would be fine -_-
God Bless her! I’m sure that memory stays etched in the back of her mind!! Ms. Mary Ellen is part of history!! I cried some watching her tell the story of Dr. King last moments I felt her emotions when she spoke . God Bless her. I’m so glad that she had some great memories of Dr. King!🙏🏽❤️
He did not die from a gunshot wound. He died from the surgeons, not wanting to perform surgery on him. These are the black history facts that DeSantos want you to miss out on.
My mother was pregnant with me at that time in late term... i like to keep things in a perception of time.
Wonderful sensitive reporting, of a wonderful lady who witnessed history.❤️
The way she said “He can’t”… wow 😢
Yet king was alive ? Until all where told to leave his room mins later declared dead.
Bless her heart .... RIP Dr.King
One of the worst thing the government ever did to us😡
I was born 3 day after Mr. Martin Luther King. May him rest in peace 🕊️🙏🏾 Thank you Ms. Miller for taking the time to talk to us🥰
Rest in peace, my friend. 😢
She's apart of history & apart of Dr. MLK legacy. God Bless Her ❤
She was 21 in 1968. That puts her in her mid 70s. wow!!!!
Over 50 plus years, she is still traumatized.. WOW..😞
She’s beautiful. God bless her.
Jon Stephen s wife saw the a actual shooter...it wasn't j.e. ray
was it O.J.?
Judge Joe Brown actually has an entire interview on VladTV confirming it wasn't James Earl Ray. He goes into great detail about it.
This is old news
@@chrisgibson2106 government killed MLK. His days were up once he started speaking against Vietnam. The government killed JFK, MLK , RFK, And Malcolm X....great leaders . their assasinations paved the way for conservative regressive control for next few decades...
It was the CIA
The way Craig Melvin comforted her proves that professionalism and empathy are not mutually exclusive at all. I wish more journalists had what he has.
What a powerful interview!!!
A VERY SAD TIME FOR AMERICA'S HISTORY AND A SAD TIME FOR Martin Luther King FAMILY .CONTINUE TO RIP MLK Amen 🙏😢
Thank you for sharing this story of MLK. 🙏
She has a beautiful spirit 💕❤️
King was shot by a Memphis police officer: Frank Strausser. He survived the shot but Dr Breen Bland had him smothered with a pillow in hospital. That's how it happened.
This is so disrespectful to have 15 second adds on this video
Hating ain't healing. Killing ain't helping and jealousy is a cancer on the mind. We are equal. And there ain't no sequel.
Today I learned that Martin Luther King Jr. smoked Cigawets 🤔
I too learned that today!!
Yeah I know that's what I was think I said to myself I said self i didn't know martin luther king smoked
Latarian Milton
Me to I just found that out after watching the video.