Black-Jewish Connection in LA to be Revived During Trip on Anniversary of King’s Death

By BROOKLYNE GIPSON

“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” n Dr. Martin Luther King; “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speech; April 3, 1968; Memphis, Tenn.

The prophetic closing words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech, delivered the day before he was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., are just as haunting today as they were the day the audio recording of the speech was re-played at his funeral, allowing King to eulogize himself—only this time the audience is able to see just how accurate his predictions were.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, after coming to Memphis to support striking black sanitary public works employees, in spite of recent death threats against his life, which he referenced in his final speech.

Forty years later, various groups crossing ethnic and religious lines are making pilgrimages to Memphis to honor him. Locally, four prominent groups (American Jewish Committee-Los Angeles, First African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Brotherhood Crusade) aim to honor his life in a unique way—by embarking on an historical journey that not only commemorates his passing but also illustrates one of the ways in which King’s dream of unity has been fulfilled. The group will travel April 4-6 to Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala.

The idea for the trip came last year after an estimated 300 people joined the AJC-LA, First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) Church, the Office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Jewish World Watch, as they came together for Darfur Observance Day on May 20, 2007. The groups involved realized that efforts needed to be made to revive such African American-Jewish collaborations as that one and those that had occurred over the years in Los Angeles.

At a pre-trip dinner at Allen House (near FAME Church) on March 19, arranged so that all of the travelers could meet each other, a panel of speakers, including John Mack, executive director of the Urban League and former chair of the Police Commission, as well as Rabbi Steven Jacobs, Koh Tikvah Temple, and Raphe Sonenshein, professor of history, California State University, Fullerton, spoke on the history of the strong relationship between the Jewish and African American communities in Los Angeles.

“It was historical for me,” said traveler Charisse Bremond Weaver, president and chief executive officer, Brotherhood Crusade. “I’m in that age range where I understand the relationship between the African American and Jewish community, but really still have a lot to learn. The idea to engage both of our communities to learn about each other in this way, will be a great way to begin the dialogue—allowing us to share but then to take it a step further when we embark on the trip this weekend.”

The trip will start off with tours of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a center dedicated to civil rights and human rights issues and the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four black girls were killed in September of 1963 in an attack motivated by members of the Ku Klux Klan in disagreement with the enactment of segregation-ending legislation.

Next, the group will visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, tour center, and photo exhibit that is within King’s neighborhood and includes the house where he was born, the Ebenezer Baptist Church where he first became pastor and his grave site where memorial services will take place.

“In the Jewish tradition we say a prayer for the dead, on the day of the death every year and so we’re going to do that at his gravesite,” said traveler Saundra Mandel, associate director, American Jewish Committee-Los Angeles (AJC-LA).

Adrian Dove, chair of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, who marched with Dr. King, will speak on his experience on the ride back to Atlanta after the memorial services. The group will finish off the day at a synagogue, Congregation Or Hadash, which will host the group for dinner and Shabbat services.

The next morning, the sermons for Sunday services at both Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and FAME in Los Angeles will both reflect on Dr. King’s accomplishments.

Members of the four groups that are participating plan to meet continuously in the future to continue to fellowship.

“The key is to create a kind of covenantal, shared experience that we can all learn more about each other as individuals and communities and together we can decide what kind of projects we want to collaborate on in the future,” said Randy Brown, director of inter-religious affairs, AJC-LA.

Upcoming events for the groups include a African American-Jewish Passover Seder to take place at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple on April 17.