April 2010

April 4, 1968:
Death date of Martin Luther King, Jr., African American civil rights leader
On April 3rd, Dr. King was in Memphis, Tennessee in support of striking, African American sanitation workers.  That night, he addressed a rally at the local Mason Temple and gave his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech.  The next evening, while standing on the 2nd floor balcony of the Lorraine Hotel, where he was staying, he was assassinated.      

April 8, 563 B.C.E.:
Birthdate of Siddhartha Gautama, later known as Buddha
Siddhartha was an Indian prince who left his family at the age of 29 to seek the truth of life.  After years of wandering, meditation and self-denial, he attained enlightenment.  At this point, he realized complete awakening and insight into the nature and cause of human suffering which was ignorance, along with steps necessary to eliminate it.  The religion he founded spread throughout central and southeast Asia, China, Japan, and Korea, and has also attracted followers in the West. 

April 11, 1968:
A week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The law prohibited discrimination in housing, protected civil rights workers and expanded the rights of Native Americans.

April 20, 1923:
Birthdate of Tito Puente, Puerto Rican musician and bandleader
A pioneer in bringing Latin music to the United States, Puente brought percussion to the center of his orchestral presentations with the Tito Puente Orchestra.  Puente, also known as the "Mambo King", was a leader in fusing Latin rhythms with jazz and other forms of music.

April 27:
Freedom Day, South African holiday
This holiday celebrates freedom and commemorates the first democratic post-apartheid elections held on that day in 1994, when they saw Nelson Mandela elected as President.