What Martin Luther King Jr. Said In His Last Speech

On April 3, 1968, the eve of his assassination, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his last speech in Memphis, Tennessee.

King arrived in Memphis to aid the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike, which started in February after two garbage collectors were killed by a malfunctioning truck.

Over 1,300 Black sanitation workers went on strike to demand higher wages, safer working conditions, and union recognition. The strike galvanized the local community; according to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, by March, dozens of high school and college students in Memphis had joined the sanitation workers in daily marches.

King took to the podium at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple on April 3 to inspire organizers and call for economic justice for Black workers.

“The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers.”

“God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three square meals a day.”

“Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.”

In his speech, King recalled a nearly fatal stabbing attack in 1958, where a doctor told him the blade was a sneeze away from killing him.

“If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have had a chance […] to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn’t have been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I’m so happy that I didn’t sneeze.”

“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop.”

“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.”

“He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”

“I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

For more from GIPHY, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @GIPHY.