- Collection:
- WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection
- Title:
- Series of WSB-TV newsfilm clips of Georgia governor Lester Maddox addressing some of the logistical concerns about the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia, 1968 April 8
- Creator:
- WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)
- Contributor to Resource:
- Maddox, Lester, 1915-2003
- Date of Original:
- 1968-04-08
- Subject:
- Interviews--Georgia--Atlanta
Governors--Georgia
Funeral rites and ceremonies--Georgia--Atlanta - People:
- Maddox, Lester, 1915-2003--Interviews
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968--Death and burial - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, 33.79025, -84.46702
United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798 - Medium:
- moving images
news
unedited footage - Type:
- MovingImage
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- In this series of WSB newsfilm clips from Atlanta, Georgia on April 8, 1968, Georgia Governor Lester Maddox addresses some of the logistical concerns about the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., scheduled for the next day. Governor Maddox, apparently responding to a reporter's question asking if he will attend King's funeral, replies that his responsibility as governor to preserve the peace requires him to be in touch with law enforcement officers during times of potential unrest and prevents his attendance. In the second clip, the governor is asked by an unidentified reporter about a suggestion to close schools during the funeral. In the final clip, Maddox asserts that it would not be in the best interest of Georgia's children to do so. He also believes that it would be unwise to do so at a time when city and state resources are focused on the funeral.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Funeral services in Atlanta took place on April 9 with a private service held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the morning followed by a march to Morehouse College where a public service was held. Estimates on the number of people visiting Atlanta for the funeral ranged from 50,000 to 300,000. About 120 million viewers nation-wide watched some part of the televised services, and many businesses throughout the nation closed for the funeral. The states of New York, Connecticut, and Colorado declared legal holidays for the services. In Atlanta, city employees were sent home at 10 am, and state employees were sent home at 2 pm "for security reasons." While city and state leaders worried about potential violence in Atlanta, there were few incidents.
Title supplied by cataloger.
IMLS Grant, 2008.
Digibeta Center Cut (4 x 3) downconvert from HDD5 1080/23.98PsF film transfer. - Local Identifier:
- Clip number: wsbn42468
- Metadata URL:
- https://crdl.usg.edu/id:ugabma_wsbn_wsbn42468
- Digital Object URL:
- https://crdl.usg.edu/do:ugabma_wsbn_wsbn42468
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/ugabma_wsbn_wsbn42468/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: wsbn42468, Series of WSB-TV newsfilm clips of Georgia governor Lester Maddox addressing some of the logistical concerns about the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia, 1968 April 8, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 0934, 48:20/49:37, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia
- Extent:
- 1 clip (about 1 mins., 17 secs.): color, sound ; 16 mm.
- Original Collection:
- Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.
- Contributing Institution:
- Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection
- Rights:
-
