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Radio Atlantic

Introducing Holy Week

Radio Atlantic

The Atlantic

News, Society & Culture, Politics

4.32.3K Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2023

⏱️ 12 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Holy Week: The story of a revolution undone. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, is often recounted as a conclusion to a powerful era of civil rights in America, but how did this hero’s murder come to be the stitching used to tie together a narrative of victory? The week that followed his killing was one of the most fiery, disruptive, and revolutionary, and is nearly forgotten. Over the course of eight episodes, Holy Week brings forward the stories of the activists who turned heartbreak into action, families scorched by chaos, and politicians who worked to contain the grief. Seven days diverted the course of a social revolution and set the stage for modern clashes over voting rights, redlining, critical race theory, and the role of racial unrest in today’s post–George Floyd reckoning. Subscribe and listen to all 8 episodes coming March 14: theatlantic.com/holyweek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

What do you make of the fact that when King was killed, he was easily one of the most

0:09.1

unpopular men in America.

0:11.5

He didn't poll, you know, in 63, he was very popular and every year since then it lowered

0:18.1

a little bit.

0:19.1

Right.

0:20.1

68, favorability, he was like 60 to 70% unfavorable.

0:24.6

He polled worse than the Vietnam War.

0:29.1

What do you make of the fact that after that assassination, some version of him is made

0:37.6

to be an untouchable hero?

0:39.9

Yeah.

0:40.9

How does that happen?

0:43.1

Because he's dead.

0:45.2

He can't do any more damage.

0:48.1

When he was alive, he represented one of the greatest threats to white power in America.

0:59.7

I'm Claudine Abade, executive producer of Audio at the Atlantic.

1:06.7

Nearly 55 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.

1:10.9

The week following his assassination is the subject of our newest podcast, Holy Week.

1:16.6

The host of that podcast, senior editor Van Newkirk, is with me today.

1:21.1

Hi, Van.

1:22.1

Hi.

1:23.1

So glad you're here.

1:24.1

Thank you for having me.

...

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