Long time Buffalo native and government leader, George Arthur remembers the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior like it was yesterday.
The Civil rights leader’s life was cut short at the age of 39, when a white supremacist shot him on the balcony of a Memphis, Tennessee motel.
“I’m still not over it today. It’s a sudden shock to hear somebody you think and somebody you wish would never die,” Arthur said.
However, Arthur holds on to the good memories like the last time he spoke to Dr. King in person.
Dr. King appeared in Buffalo in 1967. University at Buffalo invited him to come and give a speech about his stance against the Vietnam War. At the time, Arthur was a Erie County Supervisor. He even has a picture he cherish of King and him. The community leader even remembers the conversation he had with King when he walked off the plane in Buffalo.
“We just talked about the world and the struggles. That we can’t give up, we can’t give in,” Arthur said.
Struggles King had a famous dream about and struggles Arthur said still exist today.
“Let’s hope that one day his dream does come true,” Arthur said.
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