Martin Luther King's Funeral (triptych)

Includes the iconic LIFE magazine photo by Gordon Parks, and the triptych by Chilean artist, Alfredo Jaar. Watch interview here: https://youtu.be/DZBdQ8wPUXo and see https://bush.posthaven.com/the-forgotten-king for more context. Based in part on the Smithsonian's web gallery: https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/life-magazine-april-19-1968-85591

Worksheet for classroom use available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IEiPvtDSRV_LDZ5FxbPgp8ITlHuX_MjpCc556MDm94k/edit?usp=sharing

Transcript

1. “Behind the brown mules and an old farm wagon that creaked along the Atlanta streets, the procession of mourners extended beyond sight”
4. Gordon Parks
5. Gordon Parks for Life Magazine MLK funeral procession April 9, 1968
7. Alfredo Jaar, Life Magazine, April 19, 1968 1995, three chromogenic prints, Smithsonian American Art Museum
11. What is happening in this photo? Where is it?
12. What is happening in this photo? Where is it?
13. “I have seen many demonstrations in the South, but I have never seen anything so hostile and so hateful as I’ve seen here today.”
22. July 26, 1965 Winnetka, Illinois
23. “Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam” Sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church on April 30, 1967
24. “Let me say finally that I oppose the war in Vietnam because I love America. I speak out against this war, not in anger, but with anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and, above all, with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as the moral example of the world. I speak out against this war because I am disappointed with America. And there can be no great disappointment where there is not great love. I am disappointed with our failure to deal positively and forthrightly with the triple evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism.”
26. “[A]fter giving the speech...King was dropped from Gallup’s annual list of the most admired Americans and was ridiculed by the New York Times, among too many others. Soon after, he was murdered.” — Robert Scheer, Truthdig.com
27. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 May, 1963 August, 1964 May, 1965 August, 1966 August, 2011 Favorable Unfavorable “Views About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” GALLUP POLL
28. Is there someone alive today, having expressed an unpopular opinion, whom you believe will be looked upon more favorably by history than they are currently? Who would you name?