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Title on Reel (transcribed from original)
Martin Luther King Memorial March - Apr. 4, 1969
Date Created
1969-04-04
Reel Format
Super 8mm
Reel Description
This reel contains footage of the April 4, 1969 Memorial March for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Richmond, Virginia. In this reel, individuals leave Monroe Park marching in the rain, and then march down what appears to be Broad Street.
Timestamp Description
00:00:10 Footage begins. Blurry footage of what appears to be two individuals in a park on a sunny day. This footage does not appear to be associated with the rest of the footage in the reel. The two individuals appear to grapple with one another, then walk away with their arms around one another's shoulders.
00:00:24 Blurred footage of marchers, filmed from a distance, as they cross Belvidere Street at Franklin Street. The Lindsey House is visible in the background, and an individual is visible standing on the porch filming the crowd.
00:00:45 Footage of the march filmed from in front of it. Two police trikes, a police car, and three mounted police officers precede the marchers. Two flag bearers walk behind them--one holding an unidentified flag and another a United States of America flag, followed by the individuals holding the "Martin L. King Memorial March" banner, followed by dozens of individuals. Most individuals wear jackets or raincoats, some carry umbrellas, and others have their hair covered against the rain. Some carry signs, one visible sign reads: "King Memorial March Church Hill", "We Will Suffer and Die If We Have To", "How Long Will It Take? [Illegible sentence]", "I Have A Dream". Individuals with white "Marshal" armbands walk on the street side of the crowd. The march is followed by two more police trikes. This appears to be Broad Street.
00:01:42 Another angle of the march, individuals appear to be clapping and singing. Buses are visible driving by in the background.
00:02:25 Footage ends.
Event Description
On April 4, 1969, a year to the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a crowd gathered in Monroe Park around 3PM for a memorial march to the Virginia State Capitol. They were led by Reverend E. William Judge of Third Street Bethel AME Church. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported the crowd walked "five abreast in a line a city block long". The event was sponsored by the Richmond Coalition for Peace, Freedom, and Justice, a coalition of 15 organizations co-chaired by Mrs. Robert Conklin* of the Women's International League and Harry Bradley of the Richmond Area Improvement Association. The march walked along Broad Street, with individuals joining the crowd as it passed. The RTD reported 400-500 arrived at Capitol Square. Named speakers includes Reverend Barry Hopkins of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, and Rabbi Saul J. Rubin of the Rabbinic Association of Central Virginia (Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 5, 1969).
*Conklin's first name could not be found.
Runtime
00:03:53
Personal Name Subject
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Topical Subject
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968--Assasination; Demonstrations; Crowds, Civil rights movements; Civil rights movements--United States; Civil rights demonstrations; Civil rights workers; Memorials; Clergy; Mounted police; Police horses; Animals in police work; Police; Police patrol--Surveillance operations; Electronic surveillance; Video surveillance
City/Location
Richmond (Va.)
Genre
color films (visual works)
Local Genre
moving image
Type
Moving Image
Digital Format
video/mp4
Language
eng
Rights Statement URL
Rights
This material is in the public domain in the United States and thus is free of any copyright restriction. Acknowledgement of Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries as a source is requested.
Collection
Richmond Police Department Surveillance Collection
Source
Memorial March for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Monroe Park to Virginia State Capitol Film Reel #02, 1969 April 4
File Name
VCU_M571_103.mp4