As the nation commemorated the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, a group of 12 Ithaca College journalism students covered events in Memphis, Tennessee for WKNO, a local affiliate of National Public Radio.
Students Cover 50th Anniversary of MLK Assassination
By Dan Verderosa, April 5, 2018
A group of 12 IC students helped National Public Radio with coverage.
Jaysha Patel ’19 interviews a sanitation worker who participated in the 1968 sanitation strike.
Jaysha Patel ’19 interviews a sanitation worker who participated in the 1968 sanitation strike.
The students covered a variety of events, including a town hall for youth activists, a speech by King’s daughter, Dr. Bernice King, and a rally organized by the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees. Students also conducted interviews with people in downtown Memphis about the commemoration, and spoke to politicians and civil rights leaders including Senator Bernie Sanders and Martin Luther King III.
The students were accompanied by faculty members James Rada, Chrissy Guest, Rhonda Vanover and Anthony Adornato. Rada has previously taken groups of students to help news organizations cover events, including the 2018 March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., the South Carolina Republican presidential primary in 2016, the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama in 2015, and the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 2013.