The Mountaintop

“CAMAE. Of course. On the TV down at Woolworth’s. You like the Beatles.

KING. Wish folks would listen to me like they listen to the Beatles.

CAMAE. Mm-hm. ‘Specially white folks.”

Camae has seen Martin Luther King Jr. on television and equates him to British musicians, the Beatles. However, being seen and being heard aren’t the same, nor is being swayed by what one sees or hears. Like King, musician John Lennon would be assassinated, demonstrating the innate danger and influence of fame.

“Negro talk strike faster than lightnin’. They say folks was cryin’. Sangin’. Mmph. Mmph. I woulda like to have seen that. Somethin’ to tell my chirren. ‘When I wun’t nothin’ but a chick-a-dee, I seen’t Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. cuttin’ up in the pulpit.”

As Camae was murdered the previous night, she speaks of hypothetical children in this quote: She will never see King preach, and he himself will never preach again. The speed of talk among the Black community suggests they are listening to King from afar, but understandably afraid to join his fight. The community is faster than lightning, which is necessary when a storm—both literal and metaphorical—is brewing. Camae also implies King’s significance in coming decades, his life and death taking America by storm.

“KING. Personally, I don’t think God’s what kept folks in their houses tonight. Folks just don’t care.

CAMAE. Folks ‘fraid of getting’ blown up. Churches ain’t even safe for us folks.”

King views the relatively smaller crowd at his latest speech as a sign of apathy, but Camae recognizes it as fear. At this point in history, Black churches and gatherings have been frequently attacked; for example, in 1963, a church bombing killed four girls. King later tells Camae that he has grown accustomed to fear, though this is countered by his paranoia at the start of The Mountaintop.