BUFFALO, N.Y. -— It was 50 years ago today when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. His fight for justice, his push for equality has inspired a nation, led to a national holiday in his name and in Buffalo, people are remembering Dr. King.
A re-enactment of the "I am a man" sanitation strike march started at Antioch Baptist Church in Buffalo and ended at MLK Park.
Meanwhile, many remember where they were the day King died. Greg Baker was at home with his mother and stepfather and remembered seeing his parents cry. He was upset about what was happening on the streets of Buffalo. "We went to the corner of Jefferson and people was rioting, tearing up our own community." He said people were hurt that the man who had so much promise for Blacks was dead.
Former Buffalo Common Council President George K. Arthur said, "it was hard to believe but yet it was true."
He has pictures of Dr. King's visit to Buffalo where the civil rights leader spoke at Kleinhans. He doesn't believe young people truly understand what King stood for, "I think they know of a Dr. King, they know what his reputation is, they know he was a world leader, but they really don't understand the real sacrifices he went through."
Ulysees O. Wingo, Jr. a high school student at Hutch Tech said he only learns about the speeches and the death of Dr. King, but would like to learn more. However, he believes in the message of King, especially non-violence, "of course because violence always leads to more violence or just a lot of hatred."
His father, a Buffalo Councilman and pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, said, "When you're going against the grain and making things uneasy and challenging the status quo, you're always going to face opposition."
"It's important for me to blaze the trail for those generations that are coming behind me to make sure they have more access than I had and more equality and equity than it was before I go here," said the councilman.