Thursday April 4th, 1968

Thursday, April 4th, 1968 is the story of a group of high school students who are traumatized by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis in 1968.  While the students try to process their grief, anger, fear, and confusion to this national tragedy, one student, Moses Derrick has to make a personal decision that will impact the rest of his life.

Moses is a track star at Central High School and is preparing to run his last race as a high school senior on the same day that Dr. King is being laid to rest.  Classmates, family, and friends try to convince Moses that it would be disrespectful to run, but Moses knows that running this race is his last chance to achieve his dream of winning a state championship; a dream he has been pursuing his whole life.

Thursday, April 4th, 1968 powerfully narrates the challenges of relentless peer-pressure, unwavering family expectations, and tremendous internal conflict that Moses faces in pursuing his dream.

webpage: www.SoulVisionTV.com/thursdayapril4th1968.htm

 Available in Paperback at:

Amazon

Available in E-book at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks

Overdrive

Thursday 4th, 1968- Excerpt from Chapter 3

    “Mr. Perry, Mr. Perry, turn on the TV! Turn on the TV!” 
shouts NewsBoy. “Somebody shot Dr. King! Somebody shot 
Dr. King!”
    The entire ice cream shop gets quiet.
    Linda chastises NewsBoy, “Come on, NewsBoy. That ain’t 
funny.”
    Frustrated and upset NewsBoy shouts, “I’m not lying!  I’m 
not lying!  It’s just happened! It just happened!  It’s on the 
news!  It’s on the news!”
     Moses stops the jukebox.  Mr. Perry turns on the 19”,
black and white TV setting behind the counter and turns the
volume up.  The students all gather around the counter to see
and hear the news.  On the TV, the newscaster is reporting
that Dr. King has been shot.
    “Memphis police say they have no suspects in the
shooting, but witnesses have indicated the shots came from a 
boarding house across from the Lorraine Hotel.  Dr. King was
in Memphis to lead a peaceful protest in support of striking
sanitation workers.  Again, for those of you just joining us,
reports out of Memphis, Tennessee say that Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.  has been assassinated.  At this time, we don’t know
who or how many killers were involved.  Dr. King, the Noble
Peace Prize recipient, …”
     Mr. Perry turns down the volume on the television.  The
students and other patrons kind of mill around not quite
knowing what to say or do.  There is an uncomfortable silence.
Margaret’s cries breaks the silence.
     “I can’t believe it!  How could anyone do this.  Dr. King is
our savior.
     How could they kill him?”
     Diane responds, “Evil!  That’s what it is.  Just plain Evil.”
     Margaret continues to express her pain, “What are we
going to do now?  Our leader is dead.  How are we going to
overcome without Dr. King leading us?”
    In an attempt to comfort Margaret, Robert says, “It’ll be
okay, Margaret.  Dr. King has a lot of soldiers.  The fight will
continue.”
    William responds to Robert’s statement, “You’re right about
that.  There is definitely going to be a fight.  All I can say is,
y’all better get your guns and get ready.  The Revolution is
about to start.”  There seems to be a sense of satisfaction in
William’s voice for the prospect of racial combat.
    Johnny jumps on William, “William, Man.  Don’t nobody
want to hear that noise now.”
    “So, what you gonna to do about it, Johnny?” replies
William.  “What ‘cha gonna do?”
    Johnny moves towards William.  William gets off of the stool
and takes a defensive stance.  Robert and Moses quickly step
in between the two.
    With a stern voice, Mr. Perry squashes the tension.
    “All right now.  I know everybody’s upset but we’re not going
to have any fighting up in here,” declares Mr. Perry.
    “Y’all so disrespectful to Dr. King”, Margaret exclaims.
    “They’re just stupid,” says Cynthea.  “They think they can
solve everything by fighting.”
    Heeding Mr. Perry’s words, William and Johnny return to
their seats.
    Ricky, who graduated from Central last year, comes through
the door.  He is a boastful young man who is a member of the
Nation of Islam.  Wearing a brown suit, yellow bowtie, and
sunglasses, Ricky moves swiftly and confidently carrying a
stack of newspapers.
    “As-salaam-alaikum, my brothers and sisters,” says Ricky.
    No one acknowledges him.
    “What’s up?  Why y’all so quiet?” asks Ricky
    NewsBoy responds, “Didn’t you hear the news, man?”
    “What news?” asks Ricky.
    NewsBoy points to the television.
    “They killed Dr. King,” says NewsBoy.
    “Who killed Dr. King?” asks Ricky.
    “They don’t know yet.  All they know is that somebody shot
him,” replies NewsBoy.
     Ricky starts to laugh.  NewsBoy rushes out of the ice cream
shop.
     “Well, well, well.  The mighty Dr. King is dead.  What will
the Negroes do now?” asks Ricky.
    “Shut up, Ricky!  Shut up!” shouts Margaret.
    “What?” responds Ricky.  “You don’t want to hear the
truth?  It’s all right here.”
    Ricky holds up a copy of “The Final Call”, one of the
newspapers he’s carrying.  
    “Maybe now some of you play tenders will get 
enlightened and follow the teachings of the Honorable Elijah 
Muhammad,” replies Ricky.
    Diane chastises Ricky.  “You have absolutely no sense
of compassion, do you Ricky?  A man just died who spent his
whole life trying to make it better for people like you, and all
you can do is sit up hear and promote some fake…”
    Ricky interrupts Diane.
    “FAKE?” interrupts Ricky. “You call the Honorable Elijah 
Muhammad, fake?  He has done more to enlighten Black men
than King.  All King wanted you to do was to march and sit-in,
and beg the white devil for what is already yours.  The
Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches you that you are
great.  You don’t need the white man.”
    “You sound just like William,” replies Cynthea.
    “Please! This brother don’t have a clue,” responds William.
    Ricky addresses William.
    “What are you talking about, brother?”
    “I’m talking about your whole Muslim movement,"
responds William. “What are y’all doing? Y’all talk big game,
but where’s the results?"
    For the first time, Ricky takes a defensive tone.
    “Well, what are you doing ‘Mr. Black Panther’?” retorts
Ricky.  "You go around talking about how you going to have a
revolution, but all I see is your butt always sitting on that stool.”
    “Oh, we’re getting ready, My Brother,” replies William.
    “Yeah, I bet,” responds Ricky. “I’ll come back a year from
now, and you’ll be sitting on that stool, talking the same ‘ole,
same ‘ole. Meanwhile, I will have led a lot of people to the
truth.”
    “But that’s all you do. Sell papers and bean pies,” replies
William.
    “And all you sell is wolf tickets,” responds Ricky.
    “We’re helping people, man,” William proudly declares. “We
have kitchens...”
    “We have kitchens, too,” counters Ricky.
    “We empower our people. We tell them to be in charge of
their own lives,” says William.
    “The exact same thing that we teach our people in the
Nation,” says Ricky.
    Mr. Perry is amused by the pseudo debate Ricky and
William are trying to have.
    “Sounds like you two have more in common than
you realize,” interjects Mr. Perry. “That’s what Dr. King was
all about. He understood that we are all God’s children, and
we are more alike than we could ever be different.  Isn’t it
ironic that on the day that he dies, you knuckle heads finally
learn that?
shouts NewsBoy. “Somebody shot Dr. King! Somebody shot 
Dr. King!”
    The entire ice cream shop gets quiet.
    Linda chastises NewsBoy, “Come on, NewsBoy. That ain’t 
funny.”
    Frustrated and upset NewsBoy shouts, “I’m not lying!  I’m 
not lying!  It’s just happened! It just happened!  It’s on the 
news!  It’s on the news!”
     Moses stops the jukebox.  Mr. Perry turns on the 19”,
black and white TV setting behind the counter and turns the
volume up.  The students all gather around the counter to see
and hear the news.  On the TV, the newscaster is reporting
that Dr. King has been shot.
    “Memphis police say they have no suspects in the
shooting, but witnesses have indicated the shots came from a 
boarding house across from the Lorraine Hotel.  Dr. King was
in Memphis to lead a peaceful protest in support of striking
sanitation workers.  Again, for those of you just joining us,
reports out of Memphis, Tennessee say that Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.  has been assassinated.  At this time, we don’t know
who or how many killers were involved.  Dr. King, the Noble
Peace Prize recipient, …”
     Mr. Perry turns down the volume on the television.  The
students and other patrons kind of mill around not quite
knowing what to say or do.  There is an uncomfortable silence.
Margaret’s cries breaks the silence.
     “I can’t believe it!  How could anyone do this.  Dr. King is
our savior.
     How could they kill him?”
     Diane responds, “Evil!  That’s what it is.  Just plain Evil.”
     Margaret continues to express her pain, “What are we
going to do now?  Our leader is dead.  How are we going to
overcome without Dr. King leading us?”
    In an attempt to comfort Margaret, Robert says, “It’ll be
okay, Margaret.  Dr. King has a lot of soldiers.  The fight will
continue.”
    William responds to Robert’s statement, “You’re right about
that.  There is definitely going to be a fight.  All I can say is,
y’all better get your guns and get ready.  The Revolution is
about to start.”  There seems to be a sense of satisfaction in
William’s voice for the prospect of racial combat.
    Johnny jumps on William, “William, Man.  Don’t nobody
want to hear that noise now.”
    “So, what you gonna to do about it, Johnny?” replies
William.  “What ‘cha gonna do?”
    Johnny moves towards William.  William gets off of the stool
and takes a defensive stance.  Robert and Moses quickly step
in between the two.
    With a stern voice, Mr. Perry squashes the tension.
    “All right now.  I know everybody’s upset but we’re not going
to have any fighting up in here,” declares Mr. Perry.
    “Y’all so disrespectful to Dr. King”, Margaret exclaims.
    “They’re just stupid,” says Cynthea.  “They think they can
solve everything by fighting.”
    Heeding Mr. Perry’s words, William and Johnny return to
their seats.
    Ricky, who graduated from Central last year, comes through
the door.  He is a boastful young man who is a member of the
Nation of Islam.  Wearing a brown suit, yellow bowtie, and
sunglasses, Ricky moves swiftly and confidently carrying a
stack of newspapers.
    “As-salaam-alaikum, my brothers and sisters,” says Ricky.
    No one acknowledges him.
    “What’s up?  Why y’all so quiet?” asks Ricky
    NewsBoy responds, “Didn’t you hear the news, man?”
    “What news?” asks Ricky.
    NewsBoy points to the television.
    “They killed Dr. King,” says NewsBoy.
    “Who killed Dr. King?” asks Ricky.
    “They don’t know yet.  All they know is that somebody shot
him,” replies NewsBoy.
     Ricky starts to laugh.  NewsBoy rushes out of the ice cream
shop.
     “Well, well, well.  The mighty Dr. King is dead.  What will
the Negroes do now?” asks Ricky.
    “Shut up, Ricky!  Shut up!” shouts Margaret.
    “What?” responds Ricky.  “You don’t want to hear the
truth?  It’s all right here.”
    Ricky holds up a copy of “The Final Call”, one of the
newspapers he’s carrying.  
    “Maybe now some of you play tenders will get 
enlightened and follow the teachings of the Honorable Elijah 
Muhammad,” replies Ricky.
    Diane chastises Ricky.  “You have absolutely no sense
of compassion, do you Ricky?  A man just died who spent his
whole life trying to make it better for people like you, and all
you can do is sit up hear and promote some fake…”
    Ricky interrupts Diane.
    “FAKE?” interrupts Ricky. “You call the Honorable Elijah 
Muhammad, fake?  He has done more to enlighten Black men
than King.  All King wanted you to do was to march and sit-in,
and beg the white devil for what is already yours.  The
Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches you that you are
great.  You don’t need the white man.”
    “You sound just like William,” replies Cynthea.
    “Please! This brother don’t have a clue,” responds William.
    Ricky addresses William.
    “What are you talking about, brother?”
    “I’m talking about your whole Muslim movement,"
responds William. “What are y’all doing? Y’all talk big game,
but where’s the results?"
    For the first time, Ricky takes a defensive tone.
    “Well, what are you doing ‘Mr. Black Panther’?” retorts
Ricky.  "You go around talking about how you going to have a
revolution, but all I see is your butt always sitting on that stool.”
    “Oh, we’re getting ready, My Brother,” replies William.
    “Yeah, I bet,” responds Ricky. “I’ll come back a year from
now, and you’ll be sitting on that stool, talking the same ‘ole,
same ‘ole. Meanwhile, I will have led a lot of people to the
truth.”
    “But that’s all you do. Sell papers and bean pies,” replies
William.
    “And all you sell is wolf tickets,” responds Ricky.
    “We’re helping people, man,” William proudly declares. “We
have kitchens...”
    “We have kitchens, too,” counters Ricky.
    “We empower our people. We tell them to be in charge of
their own lives,” says William.
    “The exact same thing that we teach our people in the
Nation,” says Ricky.
    Mr. Perry is amused by the pseudo debate Ricky and
William are trying to have.
    “Sounds like you two have more in common than
you realize,” interjects Mr. Perry. “That’s what Dr. King was
all about. He understood that we are all God’s children, and
we are more alike than we could ever be different.  Isn’t it
ironic that on the day that he dies, you knuckle heads finally
learn that?