Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Witness

The Witness:  From the Balcony of Room 306.  [DVD-1688].  33 min.  2008.

The film chronicles the final days and hours of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as told through the eyes of his contemporary, Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles, who stood on the balcony with Dr. King when he was slain at the Lorraine Motel in 1968. It follows Dr. King's efforts to gain community support for the striking sanitation workers in 1968 and the marches through Memphis. It contains details about conversations with Dr. King moments before his passing. The 32-minute documentary short includes exclusive, never before seen commentary and interviews with Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles, Dr. Benjamin Hooks, Civil Rights Leader and former Executive Director of the NAACP, Mrs. Maxine Smith, Executive Secretary, NAACP Memphis Branch and Taylor Rodgers, one of the original sanitation workers who marched alongside King and Kyles, among others.

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