The story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination on April 4, 1968, is often recounted as a conclusion to a powerful era of civil rights in America, but how did this hero’s murder come to be the stitching used to tie together a narrative of victory? The week that followed his killing was one of the most fiery, disruptive, and revolutionary, and is nearly forgotten. Over the course of eight episodes, Holy Week brings forward the stories of the activists who turned heartbreak into action, families scorched by chaos, and politicians who worked to contain the grief. Seven days diverted the course of a social revolution and set the stage for modern clashes over voting rights, redlining, critical race theory, and the role of racial unrest in today’s post–George Floyd reckoning.
Part 8: Resurrection
Whoever believes in him shall not perish
3/14/2023 • 51 minutes, 16 seconds
Part 7: Covenant
A settlement in ashes
3/14/2023 • 42 minutes, 45 seconds
Part 6: Kingdom
On Palm Sunday, Black D.C. wakes up to a broken dream
3/14/2023 • 42 minutes, 40 seconds
Part 5: Prophecy
Leaders hope to stop that which had been foretold
3/14/2023 • 42 minutes, 9 seconds
Part 4: Overcome
In Memphis, the Movement faces a reckoning
Additional reading: The 4ooth: From Slavery to Hip Hop by John Burl Smith
3/14/2023 • 53 minutes, 29 seconds
Part 3: Black Messiah
Who will rise next?
3/14/2023 • 33 minutes, 12 seconds
Part 2: Inferno
The Black capital of the world catches fire
3/14/2023 • 32 minutes, 56 seconds
Part 1: Rupture
A day at the crossroads of chance and destiny
3/14/2023 • 21 minutes, 53 seconds
Introducing Holy Week
Holy Week: The story of a revolution undone.
The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, is often recounted as a conclusion to a powerful era of civil rights in America, but how did this hero’s murder come to be the stitching used to tie together a narrative of victory? The week that followed his killing was one of the most fiery, disruptive, and revolutionary, and is nearly forgotten. Over the course of eight episodes, Holy Week brings forward the stories of the activists who turned heartbreak into action, families scorched by chaos, and politicians who worked to contain the grief. Seven days diverted the course of a social revolution and set the stage for modern clashes over voting rights, redlining, critical race theory, and the role of racial unrest in today’s post–George Floyd reckoning.
Subscribe and listen to all 8 episodes coming March 14. www.theatlantic.com/holyweek
