Civil rights journalist mourned

William E. Peters, one of the first journalists to give national exposure to Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement, has died at the age of 85:

Before the historic march and awe-inspiring speech, before the water hoses, church bombings and bullets, William E. Peters Jr. wrote an article for Redbook magazine about a then-27-year-old minister from Atlanta.

Full of candor and insight, the article "Our Weapon Is Love" introduced the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the philosophy — nonviolent resistance — that would soon help transform the nation. [LAT]

Peters also collaborated with Myrlie Evers on a biography of her late husband, assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

Robert Stein, a former colleague of Peters', blogs about his memories of the late reporter.

Comments

[CatManDu]

How interesting that he focused on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s father while his son focused on Martin Luther King, Jr. What are the odds?

[devildog6771]

In my lifetime, that was the time of greatest change. King was a very powerful speaker. Though he preached non-violence, violence often followed him. The Klan was very active then in countering his speeches.

Also, many Blacks felt empowered for the first time in their lives. Most followed Dr. King's nonviolent approach. But between the Klan, those Blacks who wanted faster change, those whites who wanted to continue the status quo, there were many riots and much destruction.

If you really are interested in that era, look up Malcolm X. I recently did some research on him after helping a neighbor's kid with a school project. He is a very under rated Black man during the Civil Rights era.

[greensmile]

Redbook? And here I went and paid for a subscription to Vanity Fair. Drat, Will I ever know how to hang with the cool people ;?)