In this WSB newsfilm clip from Atlanta, Georgia on November 22, 1963, a reporter interviews Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. following the assassination of United States president John F. Kennedy. The reporter suggests that Dr. King's support helped President Kennedy get elected and asks King if he regrets that support in light of Kennedy's assassination. King recognizes that some African Americans voted for Kennedy, because he called King's wife while King was imprisoned. However, King feels that Kennedy "created a climate of civil rights concern in Washington and in the nation," as evidenced by the civil rights legislation he introduced. The clip breaks, and King is seen sitting in a room in front of a window although the clip does not record what he says at first. When asked about previous attempts on his life, King responds that he has taken a philosophical position to the threat, recognizing "that unmerited suffering is redemptive"; he indicates he would be willing to die if his death brought more freedom to the country. The reporter thanks King and the clip breaks. Next, the reporter asks King how he heard about Kennedy's assassination. King reports that he heard the news while he was on the telephone with a member of his congregation; afterwards, he heard more about it on the television. He relates that the news "was very shocking and upsetting" and that he began thinking about several meetings he had had with the president earlier in the year. Asked about a pleasant memory of Kennedy, King recalls a time Kennedy took him on a tour of the White House. While in the Lincoln Room, King suggested the president issue a second emancipation proclamation freeing African Americans from segregation. King notes that Kennedy was not offended and adds that he appreciated the president's sense of humor. King and the reporter repeat part of the exchange about the election before the clip ends. In October 1960, while King was held in jail by Georgia's DeKalb County, presidential-candidate Kennedy called Mrs. Coretta Scott King to express sympathy. Many African Americans, aware of Kennedy's gesture, voted for him in the presidential election a few weeks later. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.

Title supplied by cataloger.

The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for digital conversion and description of the WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection.

1 clip (about 8 min.): black-and-white, sound ; 16 mm.

Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of an interview with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. following the assassination of president John F. Kennedy in Atlanta, Georgia, 1963 November 22, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 1116, 22:35/30:13, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Ga, as presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Forms part of: Civil Rights Digital Library.