Small Crowd Takes Part In Heartfelt Ceremony Honoring M.L. King

A bell that had formerly hung in a local school that was part of the early desegregation efforts was rung Wednesday night in memory of the man who had spoken volumes of his own in the civil rights movement.

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr., about 50-60 people braved cool temperatures to gather in front of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center alongside the street later named in his honor.

One of several events held around the country, words of inspiration were offered, songs were sung and, of course, the bell was tolled at the time of day that the 39-year-old civil rights leader was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

Among those standing in the crowd at the Chattanooga event was longtime former City Councilman Yusuf Hakeem. "It helps us to remember these are things and people that are greater than ourselves," he said after the event ended.

In the spirit of Dr. King, several of the program participants tried to offer challenges for Chattanooga to become a better city and America to improve in terms of opportunities for all. 

Paula Wilkes of the Smith Center pointed out that plenty of work is still to be done, while Eric Atkins of the co-sponsoring Unity Group said a lot of hopelessness and despair in the United States still exists. "Our country needs to dream again," he said.

Sherman Matthews, also of the Unity Group, mentioned that a lot of economic construction projects can be found in downtown Chattanooga, but not so much after one goes farther out into the community. And the local education system does not seem to work for all Hamilton County children, he added.

But some also tried to offer praise and inspiration on the reflective night. Quenston Coleman -- also of the Unity Group and substituting for main speaker, the Rev. Paul McDaniel, who was unable to attend -- talked about the fact that Dr. King had once been considered for the pastorate of First Baptist Church on East Eighth Street.

The Rev. H.H. Battle was chosen instead and had a long tenure, and Dr. King ended up soon moving to Montgomery, Ala., where he became involved in the Montgomery bus boycott that helped the civil rights movement get going in the mid-1950s, the speaker said.

"King had a chance to be in Chattanooga, but Chattanooga decided to do something else," Mr. Coleman said. "That was because God had a plan, a bigger plan."

The night also included more softer, but equally poignant reflections on the life of Dr. King. That included when keyboardist Joyce Knox and singer Deborah Merrill led the audience in the singing of "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," which was Dr. King's favorite hymn.

At about 7:01 p.m., ringing commenced on the Smith Center-owned bell of the former Lookout Mountain Elementary -- which was among the first schools in Hamilton County to desegregate in 1962. Local civil rights advocate and retired educator Franklin McCallie led some youngsters and others in taking turns ringing the bell 39 times to mark Dr. King's years on Earth.

The program ended with the singing of the civil rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome," with black and white attendees holding hands in the grassy lawn.

It was a harmonious end to the 30-minute program of reconciliation and remembrance, and it was a sharp contrast to the chaos and anger that followed the news of the assassination exactly 50 years earlier.

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To listen to former City Councilman Yusuf Hakeem discuss why he wanted to attend the ceremony, click here.

To hear the bell being chimed during the ceremony, click here.

To hear the audience sing "We Shall Overcome," click here.

jcshearer2@comcast.net