Herdenkingsdienst voor Martin Luther King, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, met zijn weduwe (Coretta Scott) en broer, 9 april 1968 Possibly 1968

This image by the Associated Press captures the memorial service for Martin Luther King at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 9, 1968. As a historical document, the photograph preserves a pivotal moment of grief and reflection in the wake of King’s assassination. The visual codes speak of mourning – Coretta Scott King, veiled in black, becomes a symbol of collective loss and the burden of continuing the struggle for civil rights. The presence of King’s brother suggests the passing of a torch, from one generation to the next. The act of photographing itself is an institutional practice, framing the event for public consumption and shaping its memory. In this context, the image underscores the public role of figures like King and the way their personal lives become intertwined with broader political narratives. Understanding this photograph requires an investigation into the media landscape of the late 1960s, and the ways in which images circulated and shaped public opinion.