March 02, 2018

Martin Luther King: Le Rêve Brisé?


Democrats Abroad Lyon organized a visit to an exhibition in the Lyon public library honoring Dr. Martin Luther King on the 50th anniversary of his assassination. We were warmly welcomed by the curator, Michel Chomarat, who spent time with us explaining the inspiration behind the exhibition and answering our questions.

We learned that a French priest who attended Dr. King's speech at the Bourse in Lyon, 1966 became a life long collector of Dr. King papers and memorabilia. The exhibit was built around his collection. It included newsreel film of the "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington. Footage of the crowd surrounds visitors in the gallery and makes you feel as though you were amongst the listeners in 1963, a truly moving experience. Also included in the exhibit were figurines depicting incidents in MLK's life by an American artist, a recreation of the church where King preached and many photos of other prominent civil rights leaders.

There is clearly a very special relationship between the city of Lyon and the memory of Dr. King and his historic visit here in 1966. The visit was an excellent moment to consider the question posed in the title of the exhibition - IS THE DREAM BROKEN?


+