When MLK and the KKK met in Raleigh
- Feb 4, 2019
- 1 min read
By Jason Miller
From The News & Observer
Nearly forgotten, Dr. King spoke in Raleigh to an integrated audience of about 5,000 at Reynolds Coliseum at 4 p.m. on July 31, 1966. A counter-protest began two hours earlier with speeches at Memorial Auditorium and continued with a march by members from two factions of the Ku Klux Klan.
FBI files reveal these white supremacists had to reschedule their rally when King’s visit was postponed from July 10 due to his involvement in protesting housing conditions in Chicago’s Gage Park. Before MLK and the KKK met in Raleigh, King had moved his whole family into ghetto conditions in Chicago, fully committed to bringing change.
