PLAINFIELD — It was as if Martin Luther King had preached away his own fear of death. He told jokes, condemned the Vietnam War and shared his optimism for the civil rights movement. In his last hour of life, it was just "preacher talk," recalls the Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles, a contemporary who was alone with King and Ralph...
PLAINFIELD — It was as if Martin Luther King had preached away his own fear of death.
He told jokes, condemned the Vietnam War and shared his optimism for the civil rights movement. In his last hour of life, it was just "preacher talk," recalls the Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles, a contemporary who was alone with King and Ralph Abernathy, another civil rights leader, that day in 1968.
"He had come through that tremendous depression. Death was on him. He knew it, he just didn’t know when," Kyles said during an interview Monday morning. "But in that room, all that had passed."
Kyles spoke Monday at Shiloh Baptist Church in Plainfield. He was among numerous prominent black and civil rights figures who were in New Jersey for the holiday.
It was as Kyles, Abernathy and King prepared to leave the Lorraine, the Memphis motel where King was staying, when death came.
When the two were leaving the motel room, Abernathy still inside, a shot rang out.
"I looked back," Kyles said. "He had been knocked from the railing back onto the floor. There was a tremendous hole in the side of his face. It was unbelievable that this was happening."
It’s a scene that’s still haunting — not just for Kyles and those who shared the moment, but for a generation left numb and bewildered. As King was remembered Monday, though, many were focused on the future.
For religious and civic groups, it was a "day on — not a day off," as the Rev. Al Sharpton had said on a Sunday telephone interview. Sharpton spoke at the Metropolitan Baptist Church Monday night, addressing the needs of the public schools in Newark, as well as the legacy of King.
Smaller observances, sermons, and performances were scheduled across the state, as well. From a youth forum at Seton Hall University in South Orange, to a day of community service in Clinton, admirers honored the spirit of the civil rights leader on his federal holiday.
On Monday morning, Gov. Chris Christie also appeared in Plainfield at a memorial breakfast. Like Sharpton, he used the occasion to discuss education, saying years of failure in the public school system has created a generation of students with no hope or dreams.
"I truly believe if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were with us today, as he worked toward economic opportunity and voting rights and civil rights, he would recognize its education opportunity which is defining how we bring hope to this next generation of our citizens," Christie said.
It’s a point Kyles might embrace.
"You can kill the dreamer. You really can," Kyles said. "But you must know, you can’t kill the dream."
Staff writers Ginger Gibson and Seth Augenstein contributed to this report.
Previous coverage:
• N.J. celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Gov. Christie pushes education reform on Martin Luther King Jr. Day visit to Plainfield