A #MartinLutherKingDay thread about some local connections to Dr. King and connections to what #PalumboHist and #CABravesAPUSH students have been covering recently. /1

One of the most historic days of the Civil Rights movement was June 11, 1963. That day, after a tense standoff between the Governor of Alabama and Deputy Attorney General Nick Katzenbach, the University of Alabama was integrated. (As seen in Forrest Gump) /2

That evening, Pres. Kennedy addressed the nation in what I think is the finest Oval Address in history. In his 13 minute speech, he cites MLK's message from his "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" which was written 2 months prior about not wanting to be told to "wait" for justice. /3

That same night, Mississippi civil rights activist and NAACP leader Medgar Evers is assassinated in his driveway. /4

Four days later, on June 16th, Martin Luther King gives the Baccalaureate address at @KeukaCollege. During his speech, MLK mentions that he was at Medgar Evers' funeral the night before. /5

The next local connection, is this news conference in which Dr. King discusses the July 1964 race riots in NYC and Rochester. /6

This last clip is from the August 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. In the lesser shared first few minutes, King makes some excellent historical connections. He notes the Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. /end