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Witness History

Photographing Martin Luther King and His Family

Witness History

BBC

Personal Journals, Society & Culture, History

4.51.6K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2018

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1969 photo journalist Moneta Sleet became the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. He won for the black and white image of Coretta Scott King the widow of Martin Luther King taken at the funeral of the murdered civil rights leader. Farhana Haider has been speaking to Moneta Sleet's son Gregory Sleet about his father's remarkable career capturing many of the images that defined the struggle for racial equality in America.

Photo: Moneta Sleet's Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Coretta Scott King and daughter Bernice. Credit. Getty

Transcript

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Choosing what to watch night after night the flicking through the endless

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1:06.0

Hello and thank you for downloading this edition of the Witness History Podcast with me for

1:11.2

Harna Heiber and today I'm taking you back to 1969 when photojournalist

1:16.8

Monita Sleet became the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism. He won for the image of Coretta Scott King,

1:25.6

the widow of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, taken at his funeral.

1:36.7

I've been speaking to Monita Sleet's son Gregory Sleet. The church was packed and my father found a location that was vacant right next to the pews by happenstance as he explained it put him right in the position to see

1:47.5

Mrs King and her daughter Bernice over her lap and Mrs King strikes up. It was just an amazingly dignified pose.

1:56.0

She was just incredibly under control in my opinion.

...

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