Martin Luther King III When my father, Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, I was 10 years old. Although I was heartbroken, I remember being moved to learn that members of the Pittsburgh Pirates, led by the great Roberto Clemente, refused to play in the days following the assassination out of respect for my father.Although other teams did not follow the Pirates example, Clemente and his white teammate, Dave Wickersham issued a statement saying “We are doing this because we white and Black players respect what Dr.
King has done for mankind.”There is a great tradition of African American professional and amateur athletes standing up for social justice.
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