The Forgotten Attack on MLK That Could Have Changed History Forever

mlk jr sitting down
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Tremain Prioleau II
January 9, 2025

In September 1958, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was signing copies of his book, “Stride Toward Freedom,” at Blumstein’s Department Store in Harlem, New York.  Izola Ware Curry, a 42-year-old woman was also there, but not to buy a book.

She asked, “Is this Martin Luther King?” Dr. King politely replied, “Yes, it is.” That was when all hell broke loose.

Curry stabbed King in the chest with a 7-inch letter opener. A police officer on the scene prevented a bystander from removing the blade until King could get to the hospital.

The x-rays revealed that the blade’s tip was almost touching his aorta. A sneeze or cough could push the knife into it. After this brush with death, Dr. King reconsidered his philosophy of non-violence, a principle he would live by until his last sermon.

We must define how we will contribute to Black liberation in ways that honor our values and principles. Dr. King’s steadfast belief in non-violence offers guidance, leaving us to determine how we address the injustices we encounter.

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