The Root Commemorates The 40th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death

The Root, a daily online magazine that focuses on black perspectives, today launches special coverage to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Video interviews, essays and photo galleries are among the features that will retell King’s life and illuminate the massive societal and political consequences of his death over the past decades. Among the featured voices on The Root paying tribute to King is scholar and best-selling author Michael Eric Dyson. In a video interview between Dyson and James Braxton Peterson, regular contributor on The Root and Founder of Hip Hop Scholars, LLC, Dyson and Peterson share perspectives on the significance of King’s legacy and compare African-American leaders of today (http://www.theroot.com/id/45509). Dyson’s examination of King’s legacy and death in his 17th book, April 4, 1968, is also excerpted on The Root. Visit http://www.theroot.com/id/45493 to read the excerpts. Later this week, another video will feature a personal, multi-generational interview between Ruth Dargan, the first female detective of the Newark Police Department, retelling the day King was shot and the riots and tumult that followed to her grandson Kyle G. Dargan, a 26-year-old professor at American University. Other content featured on the site will include: University of Chicago Professor Michael C. Dawson’s personal account of how King’s death turned him into a revolutionary: http://www.theroot.com/id/45569 An examination of hip hop in a post civil rights era from Marc Lamont Hill, in addition to his regular writing for The Root’s "Down from the Tower” blog Charlayne Hunter-Gault’s description of being one of the "Freedom's Sisters" honored in the Smithsonian exhibit, now on display at the Cincinnati Museum Center And finally, a look at what happened to the striking garbage workers in Memphis, Tenn—the protestors King came to support before his assassination. "The role Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had in shaping the American civil rights movement is unparalleled, and we can honor his life and his teachings through intimate examinations of how generations have been affected by King,” said Lynette Clemetson, managing editor of The Root. "The Root acknowledges the significance of embracing one’s history to understand our collective future, and we are sharing voices that express this link, to bring even greater scope and meaning to this historic date.” To access the multimedia, essays and The Root’s entire special feature on Martin Luther King Jr., visit www.TheRoot.com. About TheRoot.com TheRoot.com blends smart, thought-provoking editorial with interactive genealogy to create a Web community devoted to deepening understanding of black history and engaging in intelligent conversation on issues of importance to black people around the world. TheRoot.com is owned by Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI), the online publishing subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO) and can be found on the Web at www.theroot.com.