Fifty years ago, on 4 April 1968, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

The night before he died, King gave another of his many evocative speeches; this one at the packed Mason Temple in Memphis. The speech included these words:

‘Men for years now have been talking about war and peace. Now no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and non-violence in this world, it is non-violence or non-existence. That is where we are today.’

In clearly identifying this stark choice and having been inspired by Mohandas K. Gandhi’s wideranging social concerns, King’s concerns were also broad:

‘The Triple Evils of poverty, racism and militarism are forms of violence that exist in a vicious cycle. They are interrelated, all-inclusive, and stand as barriers to our living in the Beloved Community. When we work to remedy one evil, we affect all evils.’ See ‘The King Philosophy’.

One of my local favorites is Big Mama’s Burritos, on the corner of Grandview Avenue and Third Avenue. Big Mama’s has highly accessible hours and affordable pricing, which is helpful when I don’t want to spend a lot of money and want to get really full on a delicious, giant vegan burrito. That California girl in me has a real soft-spot for Mexican food.

For a while, refried beans seemed like they had disappeared and the only burritos you could get came with either black beans or whole pintos. I’m so glad a buddy of mine turned me onto this great place. While the building of the burrito is not done right in front of you, you still have a lot of say as to what goes into it.

Their guacamole is fresh and delicious – I really do rate Mexican food on their beans and their guacamole. They have interesting salsa options (mango!) and while their corn tortilla chips are not made in house, they are good. Next time you are ravenous, you can get a decent sized vegan burrito there for under $5.

Sunday, April 1, 3-5pm
Also, April 3, 8-10pm
Short North Stage, 1187 N. High St.
Short North Stage and the King Arts Complex will commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination with playwright Katori Hall’s gripping re-imagination of the last night of Dr. King’s life. While a storm rages outside his hotel room in Memphis, a mysterious stranger arrives, forcing Dr. King to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people. Magical and haunting.
NOTE: A special memorial performance of The Mountaintop will be presented on Tuesday, April 3—the eve of the anniversary of Dr. King’s death.
Reviewers loved the Mountaintop on Broadway:
“Even before the first flash of lightning—and there will be plenty of that before evening’s end—an ominous electricity crackles through the opening moments of THE MOUNTAINTOP.” —NY Times. 
“…as audacious as it is inventive…[a] thrilling, wild, provocative flight of magical realism…The King that is left after Hall’s humanization project is somehow more real and urgent and whole.” —Associated Press
Purchase Tickets 

The cries of loss and anguish become public, at last. A million young people seize the truth:

“Half of my seventh grade class was affected by gun violence. My own brother was shot in the head. I am tired of being asked to calm down and be quiet.”

The stories went on and on, speaker after speaker. We marched for our lives this past Saturday. I was one of the thousands of people who endured a bitter cold morning in Chicago to be part of this emerging movement, this burst of anger, hope and healing. Violence in the United States of America is out of control. It has its claws around the lives of its own children. It’s a terrifying symptom . . . of a society built around fear, of a political structure devoted to war.

Something has to change.