‘I May Not Get There With You’: An Eyewitness Account Of MLK’s Final Days

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On April 3, 1968, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., second from right, stands with other civil rights leaders on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., a day before he was assassinated at approximately the same place. From left: Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson, King and Ralph Abernathy.

Charles Kelly/AP Photo

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Charles Kelly/AP Photo

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A young Clara Jean Ester graduated from Memphis State College, now known as the University of Memphis. Now, Ester is a retired organizer and Methodist deaconess in Mobile, Ala.

Clara Jean Ester

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Clara Jean Ester

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In that moment, kneeling over his body, Ester said King’s fateful words from the night before were echoing in her head: I may not get there with you. I may not get there with you.

After news of King’s assassination, she said hate «took over. It stemmed, she said, from «white America [who] don’t want to see us with freedom, so you take out our leader, our king.

«Every time I want to believe that Dr. King’s life changed everything — I’ve witnessed George Floyds and so many others that have lost their lives, Ester said, referring to the man fatally killed by Minneapolis police last May.

Still, in contemplating what King’s legacy has meant after decades of violence against Black people, Clara said, «You think that’s gonna destroy his dream? Y’all are wrong. I think children years and years to come will continue to have his dream.

Audio produced for Morning Edition by Abe Selby. NPR’s Emma Bowman adapted it for the Web.

StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org.