April 9, 1968…the King family in mourning.
54 years ago today April 9, 1968…the King family in mourning.
Images from Left to Right:
1. Dr. King's oldest daughter, oldest son and his brother.
2. Mrs. King and their youngest daughter.
3. Dr. King's youngest son, his sister and his father.
4. The funeral procession after the church ceremony. Mrs. King and their children lead the way.
April 9, 1968: Two funeral services were held for Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia.
THE FIRST SERVICE:
The private service began at 10:30 a.m. EST at Ebenezer Baptist Church and was filled with some 1,300 people
The service began with Rev. Ralph Abernathy delivering a sermon which called the event "one of the darkest hours of mankind."
At his widow's request, King eulogized himself: His last sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, a recording of his famous 'Drum Major' sermon, given on February 4, 1968, was played at the funeral.
Per King's request, his good friend Mahalia Jackson sang his favorite hymn, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" at his funeral.
PROCESSION:
The private funeral was followed by the loading of King's casket onto a simple wooden farm wagon pulled by two local mules. The procession down 3 1/2 miles from Ebenezer Baptist Church to Morehouse College was observed by anywhere between 10,000 to 100,000 people.
The procession was silent, although it was accompanied on occasion by the singing of freedom songs which were frequently sung during the marches in which King had participated.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the group sang "We Shall Overcome".
MOREHOUSE:
The public and final service was held at Morehouse College, where King was eulogized by college president Benjamin Mays.
Following the funeral, King's casket was loaded into a hearse for his final trip to the South View Cemetery, a burial place predominantly reserved for African Americans.
His remains were exhumed in 1977 and reburied at their current location at the plaza between the King Center and Ebenezer, and his widow Coretta was buried next to him in 2006.