Initial Broadcast Date: April 4, 1972 and April 11, 1972
30 minutes – Color
Marking the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4, 1968), this program presents a two-part evaluation of the impact of his life and death on the condition of black people.
Three leading black journalists recall Dr. King through personal and professional experiences, reflecting on the times from which he and the civil rights movement emerged. They are Gerald Fraser, a New York Times reporter who frequently wrote articles on Dr. King and interviewed him on his last day in New York; Chester Higgins Sr., senior editor of Jet magazine and a former editor of the Detroit Courier; and Peter Bailey, an associate editor of Ebony magazine who has closely followed Dr. King’s career.
The discussion raises a number of questions as to black leadership as well as to the leadership of Martin Luther Kings. Is it charisma or the white press that makes a black leader; should a black leader deal with US foreign policy problems? All three agree that King was a charismatic leader, although the press and television were timely contributors to his emergence as an important figure. Bailey points out that King’s popularity was based on more than press coverage: “You have got to have more than the press operating for you to make a mass following.” And Fraser offers Bayard Rustin as a counter-example when he says, “There’s a guy that The New York Times and other papers would really like to make … a great Negro leader.” He adds, however, that the papers cannot achieve this because he has no mass following.
Also, Higgins talks of the present need to develop another leader who “can weld together these disparate groups … he’s got to have this idealism that can capture the imagination of people” – a noticeable need in the wake of the National Black Political Convention’s struggle for unity.
The journalists also discuss King’s non-violent philosophy. Bailey sees it as not being a viable weapon in the present struggle for freedom since “The attitude of black people has changed…. The civil rights movement died with Martin Luther King’s assassination.” Fraser adds: “Black people of the United States learned a good deal more about being black in the United States as a result of his death than they did learn from him while he was alive.”
Other topics discussed include whether King understood the Northern black as well as he did the Southern; whether he fully realized the nature of what he was up against; his image as portrayed in John Williams’ book The King that God Didn’t Save, and the information – which some call “Barnyard gossip” – in the book which focuses on King’s private life and the use of it by the FBI.
“Black Journal” is a production of NET Division, Educational Broadcasting Corporation
Executive producer: Tony Brown
This reel is part of one of our Specialty Collections. Online viewing or downloads of low-res versions for offline viewing will be available for only more day, though. Online viewing or downloads of low-res versions for offline viewing has now expired, though, and cannot be viewed online. "Pro" account holders can download a low-res version for offline viewing.
Sign up for a "Pro" account to download this footage.
This reel is currently not available for online viewing.
Sorry, this video is temporarily unavailable for online viewing or download. Please try again later.
Restricted Material
Access to this reel with audio is restricted. It will be available for only more day.
Access to this reel with audio has expired.
