For one, in this photo King is praying. I think this is poignant since he was a minister, and since religion and religious imagery were so important to the basis of his ideas and the wording of his speeches. Further, I selected this image because in it, King looks tired or sad or vulnerable. I […]
Forgetfulness is a common human foible effecting how historical figures are remembered and imagined. Their cosmic presence and specific cause related influence often eclipse their unaltered fons et origo. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was many things – an activist, religious leader, and orator. King’s personal life wasn’t particularly confidential, however, it was a victim […]
Martin Luther King’s likeness is one that represents advocacy and peace. The history books will show him marching and making speeches, but never anything that invokes actual rebellion. This mugshot of MLK shows a glimpse of the truth of the Civil Rights Movement and how it was more than peaceful protesting and speeches. It was […]
The picture above is from the Landmark Commencement Address at City College of New York. This is MLK standing next to President Buell Gallagher of CUNY. I chose this image because, I think it shows two people black and white both as accomplished students, nothing more, and nothing less. I like the simplicity in it. […]
In the interview with Brian Ward, He talks about some reasons as to why King would travel all the way to Newcastle despite his busy life. One of the reasons that was given by Dr. Caison that Ward agreed with is that perhaps he just needed a change a scenery and that “there is something […]
Martin Luther King, Jr. was arguably the most publicized civil rights leader in the 20th century, but somehow, I have never come across this image until now. As recipients of history, we see the images of King addressing the masses in Washington, D.C. or locking arms with other leaders in a march. We see him […]
I found this picture of Martin Luther King, Jr after a pretty quick google search. I chose it because it shows a side of him not always in the media or history spotlight. MLK was a brilliant orator, activist, and a hero. But I think first and foremost he was minister. His non-violent strategies and […]
The United States and England share a complex history that involves embracing the several cultures within them while simultaneously attempting to erase those same cultures when it is most convenient. Some feel that complete integration is needed while others think it is more important to embrace the large immigrant community. In the BBC series there […]
In Kieran Quinlan’s “Introduction” to Strange Kin: Ireland and the American South, Quinlan explores the kinship between Ireland and the U.S.’s south. Many of the ideas Quinlan expresses are also heard in the interview with Gavan Lennon. Lennon says the American perception of the South is that it’s the “container” “where all the bad stuff […]
In Black and British, I was most captivated by the narrative about the “Beachy Head Lady.” Amidst 300 sets of unidentified bones, historians settled on hers in order to learn more about the region. They established that she would have been living in that same town around 125-240 AD. With the forensic recreation of her, […]
For this last post, we will read several sermons from late in King’s life and consider how these items from the late 1960s may complicate, nuance, or challenge some of the ways that King has been remembered in public memory since that time. We will also hear from Brian Ward about King’s 1967 visit to […]
For your fourth post, we’re re-examining British history and public memory through a careful examination of the intersection between Black identity and British identity. Together, our readings and viewings will help us think through the complex relationships of race and nation in historical and contemporary moments. We will also consider how the public memory of […]