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# Abernathy's daughter recounts King's final moments at civil rights talk
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/022207-story-20070222/
- Published: 2007-02-22T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:07:52.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Community, Santa Monica, #archive-import

the background, said Abernathy, whose father was with King during his final moments.

“Daddy didn’t want Uncle Martin to hear Andy’s tears,” Abernathy said. “Because he needed strength at the time.”

When King was taken to the hospital and stripped of his clothes, Ralph Abernathy saw a bullet had created a hole in King’s chest. A hole that was the size of a man’s fist.

The doctor told Abernathy that King could be saved, but would spend the rest of his life as a “vegetable,” Donzaleigh Abernathy said.

Moments later, the doctor said there was nothing that could be done.

At the conclusion of the presentation, children and parents could be seen hugging each other in the audience, warmed by the story of how King and Abernathy worked to create a better world for their own children.

Tamu Hassle listened to the presentation with her friend,Tonya Anderson.Both said they found it interesting to hear the story of the civil rights movement from a child’s perspective.

It’s only been 43 years since the Civil Rights Act was signed and discrimination exists to this day,” Anderson said.

“Our struggle is not over.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 22, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/022207.pdf?ref=smdp.com)