31 days and counting

I saw this photo while browsing images of the civil rights era. It's a different kind of photo of King, perhaps revealing a moment of deep anguish. We've seen the dynamic and charasmatic King, the prophetic freedom fighter who gave all to the struggle. This image resembles the photo of him the night before he was assassinated. He'd come to Memphis to defend the labor rights of sanitation workers and knew that his days were numbered. "Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead," he said from the pulpit, while his eyes blinked back tears. "But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. 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. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain."

This is not a photo of that moment, but it speaks to the strain of a man burdened with weight of the ultimate struggle.