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Title on Reel (transcribed from original)
Martin Luther King Memorial, April 4, 1969
Date Created
1969-04-04
Reel Format
16mm
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, marchers gather at the steps of the Virginia State Capitol, with some speakers gathering under the portico. Then the crowd disperses. This appears to be a group of majority Black participants.
Timestamp Description
00:00:09 Footage begins. Footage of approximately a dozen individuals standing on a sidewalk on the ground of the Virginia State Capitol. In front of them, a crowd of demonstrators walks from the right to left of frame. Two flag bearers are visible--one holding an unidentified flag and another a United States of America flag. Most individuals wear jackets or raincoats, some carry umbrellas, and others have their hair covered against the rain. Some individuals carry signs. The footage appears to be filmed from above, perhaps the top of the steps of the capitol building. Footage pans across the crowd.
00:00:35 Marchers holding a large banner which reads "Martin L. King Memorial March" climb the steps of the capitol building.
00:00:38 Dark footage panning over the crowd gathered at the bottom of the steps at the capitol building.
00:00:44 Zoomed in footage panning of the crowd, they appear to be singing.
00:01:17 Zoomed out footage panning of the crowd.
00:01:26 Multiple clips of zoomed in footage of individuals and groups in the crowd.
00:01:50 Footage filmed from below of the capitol building steps. Approximately a dozen individuals stand towards the top of the stairs holding the "Martin L. King Memorial March" banner. An individual with a film camera is visible on the steps above them. The camera pans left and shows more individuals standing under the portico at the top of the steps. A speaker and a microphone are visible.
00:02:04 Footage of the individuals at the top of the capitol steps, one person appears to be speaking at the microphone.
00:02:10 Footage filmed from above of four individuals, including two uniformed police officers, speaking while standing on the capitol grounds.
00:02:13 Multiple zoomed in clips of individuals preparing to leave the capitol grounds, filmed from above.
00:03:48 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
00:04:19
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; 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 #04, 1969 April 4
File Name
VCU_M571_113.mp4