The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo: I Have a Dream Speech - Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Today's newspaper column. Read it in the Hattiesburg American.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. Not a complaint - a living dream.

The powerful and compelling vision he articulated was that someday, in America, people would not be “judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

We’ve come a long way since that late August in 1963 when Martin Luther King, Jr. uttered those very words from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. To the country and the world, the ideals those words embodied were a beacon of truth beaming from the shores of justice through a thick fog of prejudice, hate, and injustice.

Thomas Jefferson penned the words “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence, but those words rang hollow when compared to the suffering of some at the hands of others hell-bent on ‘keeping Negros in their place.’ In the face of sneers, segregation and the all-too-common lynching, King preached the gospel of love and non-violence – but not acceptance of the status quo - as a path to equality. And for that, he was shot and killed.

So today we honor the ideal of racial equality and memorialize the actions of this civil rights martyr with a national holiday on the Monday closest to the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lesser known was a version of Rev. King in Hattiesburg, Mississippi: Rev. J.C. Killingsworth. Killingsworth led the civil rights movement in Hattiesburg spearheading and organizing peaceful demonstrations during this volatile time in our nation’s history putting his own life at risk as well as those of his family and associates.

Today, a group of involved citizens in Hattiesburg – the J.C. Killingsworth Freedom Corner Committee - has a dream. The dream is to create a living interactive memorial and education center for the purpose of honoring pillars of the civil rights struggle in Hattiesburg, MS. Appropriately, the site is located at the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and the newly renamed J.C. Killingsworth Avenue.

This memorial is not an attempt to rehash the past, but to put history in context for the next generation, and to play a vital part in racial reconciliation.

Wander through the “Pillars of the Movement” and hear oral histories of 12 Hattiesburg civil rights leaders. Break through the “Wall of Injustice” and be serenaded by jubilant gospel anthems as you gaze into a central sphere reflecting a kaleidoscope of colorful murals of Hattiesburg’s civil rights pillars in the background while seeing the most important person in the ongoing quest for racial equality - yourself.

To find out how you can help turn this Freedom Corner dream into reality, send an email to msfreedomcorner@gmail.com or write to Freedom Corner, c/o James Ray Polk Architect, P.O. Box 1253, Hattiesburg, MS 39403. Or donate online by going to jckfreedomcorner.com.

Let’s join together to bring about a vibrant and sustainable culture of true racial equality in the community in which we live.

Take a tour of the J.C. Killingsworth Freedom Corner here.

Freedom Corner: a Guided Tour

James Ray Polk, Architect --- double-click for higher resolution


Foot-Soldier's Fountain greets the new visitor at the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and J.C. Killingsworth Avenue as a tribute to the "foot-soldiers" of the civil rights movement. The leaders and organizers may have more familiar names, but daily small acts of faith, support, and personal sacrifice by millions of people gave the movement its momentum.

Enter the memorial and look to your right. You'll see a procession of 12 kiosks - or "Pillars" - each representing an individual pillar of strength in the struggle for civil rights in Hattiesburg. Mounted on each kiosk is an interpretive painting of each pillar, and viewers may access oral histories of each individual. As you walk along, you'll notice that the path is uphill, a metaphor for the struggle.

Then there's the Brick Wall. In one of our programming sessions, an eloquent elderly woman who lived through the civil rights era said "No matter what we did, they just kept putting up brick walls. Every time we'd get past one, they'd put up another. That brick wall just kept getting higher and higher." Notice the brick wall as it grows higher and higher along the procession of pillars until, after the 12th pillar, the wall turns and opens - roughly, with bricks falling away - blown open by a mighty wind as a portal to "the other side."

And on the other side, a joyous explosion of sights and sounds. In an open-air room, designed with sound-bouncing concave concrete walls for acoustic exuberance, the sound of celebratory freedom songs fill the space along with a circular mural of larger than life-size "pillars of the movement."

In the center of the room, you'll find a reflective sphere. As you are feasting on the jubilant sounds of gospel choirs, you'll find yourself gazing into that sphere, and you'll see the leaders of the civil rights movement reflected side by side in the background. But in the foreground, undeniably - it's you.

I'm calling this space "Reflections of Freedom."

To find out more about Freedom Corner, go to the new official website: JCKFreedomCorner.com. We'll soon have instructions on how you can make a tax-deductible donation to this project. Yes, you can be a part of manifesting J. C. Killingsworth Freedom Corner.

Freedom Corner: America's Newest Civil Rights Memorial

Double-click on image for higher resolution

Fresh off the drawing board, here it is - the design for J.C. Killingsworth Freedom Corner, a memorial to honor civil rights activists who led the non-violent (at least on their end) struggle in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Hattiesburg was "ground zero" for much of the persecution of African-Americans in the 1960's. Clyde Kennard, who tried to register at the University of Southern Mississippi (then Mississippi Southern College) five years before James Meredith broke the color barrier at Ole Miss, was framed by the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission and sent to Parchman Penetentiary where the contracted cancer. Left untreated, Kennard died weeks after being released.

Vernon Dahmer, another Hattiesburg civil rights leader, was killed in 1966 when his house was firebombed by the KKK.

The memorial's namesake - Rev. J.C. Killingsworth - has often been referred to as Hattiesburg's Martin Luther King, as he organized and led marches of silent protest throughout the 1960's. Appropriately, Freedom Corner is located at the intersection of Martin Luther King Avenue and the newly renamed J.C. Killingsworth Drive.

J.C. Killingsworth Freedom Corner Event Today

If you're on this part of the globe - Hattiesburg, MS to be exact - come on out at 1pm today to the Unveiling Ceremony of the site for Freedom Corner, a newly organized civil rights memorial dedicated to the memory of "Hattiesburg's Martin Luther King" J.C. Killingsworth.

The event will take place at the intersection of Martin Luther King Avenue and Ashford (newly renamed J.C. Killingsworth) Drive.

And stay tuned for the design unveiling in early October by your favorite Architect.