By DON STINE
The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. lives on in communities at the Jersey Shore even after his assassination shocked the nation 40 years ago this month.
I was upset like most Americans when I heard the news concerned, unbelievable. Many people in the area shared the same feelings. He was a great American no question about it, said Ermon K. Jones, who was president of the Asbury Park-Neptune Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1968.
The NAACP chapter led a memorial march and held a ceremony on the Asbury Park boardwalk the Sunday after Kings death.
I was on the telephone when I was told Dr. King was assassinated. I hung up the telephone and turned on the television. I remember it distinctly. I couldnt believe it, Jones said.
At the memorial service 40 years ago Jones spoke about Kings non-violent approach to social change, a legacy that he feels has not lost its importance over the years.
We were all being touched by the civil rights movement in the Asbury Park/Neptune area then: housing, school desegregation and other issues. And the struggle continues. We have made progress but we still have a long way to go, he said.
Jones, who heard King speak at an appearance in Long Island once, said he believes Kings assassination had a great impact upon both white and black communities and has an impact today.
If you look at society today, many changes have occurred, especially in the areas of housing, education, and school desegregation. School facilities have improved but there is also a diversity among students and teaching staff that did not exist back then, he said.
Kings legacy lives on today and his dream is becoming a reality, Jones said.
Read more about your town by picking up The Coaster at your local newsstand or subscribe today.
Published every Thursday.
