Fort Worth Community Leaders to Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s Visit to the City

April 4,2018

Article by WBAP

FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF News) – A new marker in downtown Fort Worth will be put in General Worth Square to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s October 22, 1959 visit to Fort Worth and the 50th anniversary of his April 4th assassination.

Reverend Kyev Tatum said it’s important people know about Dr. King’s visit to Fort Worth.

“They’re not teaching it in the public schools. Now that we’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of his assassination we can bring that piece of history to light,” he said.

Dr. King was shot to death at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968 by James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary.

In the past year, the City of Fort Worth has come under scrutiny for relations between the police and the African American community.

The city has been working to improve race relations and Tatum said there’s no better time to come together as a community.

“This was a moment in our city’s history that we can all come back together,” he said.

King was a prominent leader in the Civil Rights Movement and a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Tatum said Dr. King’s legacy will never be forgotten.

“You know, they thought they could kill the dream but they just silenced the king because they ignited the dream,” he said.

The official unveiling of the marker will be October 22nd of this year.

Location Mentioned: General Worth Square