April 4, 2024, marks the 56th anniversary of one of the saddest days in United States history - the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

While many people take a few moments to reflect on King's life and his murder, these remembrances draw little public attention, at least in comparison to January's MLK Holiday and the speech he made at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, where more than 250,000 staged a demonstration for “Jobs and Freedom.” Many choose only to remember the "I Have a Dream" portion of that iconic speech.

Locally, we have experienced a continued pattern of suffering, denial, violence, and homicides. Nationally, we are under continuous perpetual assault in schools, churches, and in public spaces. Gun violence is as interwoven in the social fabric as is FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, AI, and smart phone upgrades.

Let's imagine an April 4th when community members not only gather in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the nameless, faceless, icons of the Civil Rights Movement, but also the innumerable other victims of gun and domestic violence.

Then maybe we will move closer to another of King's great dreams, the one he described in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech when he asserted that "man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation." Let's apply King's challenge to our communities and change our culture of violence.

We are staunch supporters of Dr. King’s philosophy of brotherhood, economic justice, and Nonviolence 365. Please join us on Thursday, April 4, 2024, as we honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a commemorative program a candlelight vigil, and a strong, but quiet appeal for nonviolence at home and abroad.

Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church

6:30 PM, Thursday, April 4, 2024

1319 N. Myrtle Avenue

Jacksonville, Florida 32209