MLKs Funeral: Rare Photos
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was laid to rest in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 9, 1968, five days after his assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Many of those attending King’s memorial service and his funeral were, of course, nationally known ― activists, preachers, politicians, artists, athletes and others who had been by King’s side at countless marches and rallies through the years. But many, many more of the tens of thousands who lined Atlanta’s streets or walked behind the mule-drawn casket were “average” Americans: men, women, and children who came from around Atlanta and around the country to pay their final respects, in person, to a man who gave his life in the struggle for freedom, justice, and peace.
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Coretta Scott King (1927 - 2006) listens to one of the speakers at the public memorial for her slain husband in Atlanta, April 9, 1968.
In a tribute to women of the Civil Rights Movement, Joy Reid reminded FOTO that Coretta Scott King once “had ordinary dreams of being a famous entertainer, and instead she became the mother of the movement. She had to navigate being a mom, explaining to four little kids why the threat of death constantly surrounded them. She had to be MLK’s voice when he was gone, and she did it regally, and with depth.”
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Actor, singer, and activist Harry Belafonte (center), his wife, Julie Robinson (left), and his son, David (seated in front of Belafonte), at the public memorial for Dr. King at Morehouse College.
Long one of the most high-profile and vocal celebrity activists in the U.S., Harry Belafonte supported the Civil Rights Movement from its earliest days, and was deeply involved in many of its signature events, from the Freedom Rides in the Deep South to the March on Washington in 1963.
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Archive Photos/Getty Images
An overhead shot of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s casket, during the procession from Ebenezer Baptist Church to Morehouse College.
“As we came out [of the church] and I looked up the road,” Baldwin wrote, “I saw them. They were all along the road, on either side, they were on all the roofs, on either side … and they stood in silence. It was the silence that undid me. I started to cry, and I stumbled, and Sammy [Davis Jr.] grabbed my arm. We started to walk.”
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On this day, remember. 
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Baldwin's mention of the respectful silence as Dr. King passed. What an emotional time for all of you watching, mourning the man.
