Boston Workers, Youth, and Community Activist Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Dr. King’s Assassina

Despite the persistent rain fall on April 4th, a large crowd of Boston workers, students, and community activist lined the streets of Dudley Station holding up posters that read: “We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values.” As cars and buses drove by they beeped their horns and people raising their clinch fist in the air giving the Black Power salute.

One community resident thanked participants in the Community Stand Out for “raising the consciousness of the community and inspiring the people.” Some residents rushed out of stores and beauty parlors to shout words of support. Participants in the Community Stand Out were predominately youth, both high school and College. They included fraternity and sorority members, representative of Haitian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cape Verdean, Somalian, African American and other African and African descendent communities. Representatives of the Venezuelan consultant also participated.

Long time community elder and Boston pioneer TV journalist Sarah Ann Shaw joined the Stand Out and walked all the way with the large Crowd to Grove Hall. Sarah was a member of the Northern Student Movement which was a support wing of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Elder Shaw is in her 80’s.

As the rain continued to fall, the large crowd walked single file up Warren Street with their posters held high – all the way to Grove Hall. They lined up in the middle isle where rush hour traffic could see the posters of Dr. King from both directions. For a half an hour that boulevard belonged to the April 4th Movement, as passengers beeped their horns to approve the action.

The April 4th Movement was organized by the Boston Coalition for Freedom, who are also part of the National Assembly for Black Liberation (NA4BL) Organizing Committee. The National Assembly for Black Liberation will have its founding assembly in North Carolina from May 18 to 20.