Exhibit shows King's 'human side'

The sign proclaims, "I am a man"; the phrase indicates the power of an individual who dedicated his life to change -- Martin Luther King Jr.\nThe photograph of the sign was taken at the Solidarity March honoring King after his assassination in 1968. It is on display in an exhibit at the African American Cultural Center, in Ashton Coulter at Seventh and Union Streets.\nIn two small rooms of the center, "Countdown to Eternity: An Exhibition of Photographs by Benedict J. Fernandez," displays some of the most vivid and powerful images of the civil rights era. \nGwendolyn Paulk, director of the center, said she chose the exhibit because of the personal aspect of the photographs provided.\n"(Fernandez) actually got to spend the last year of Martin's life with him," she said. "(The photographs) give Martin a human side, not just this superhuman side we usually see. With our leaders and heroes, we tend to forget that they are human."\nPhotographs include a haunting picture of King's son looking at his father through the glass covered coffin; the crowd of onlookers surrounding the coffin as it passes on the street; and an earlier photograph taken of King surrounded by microphones, calm in a sea of turmoil. \nPaulk said not many exhibits of King reveal such an intimate portrait of a man who sparked one of the greatest accomplishments of the 20th century and a movement that would unite most of America's population. \n"A student once said to me, 'I could feel his spirit in there,'" she said. "To bring Martin back to life for people is such a wonderful feeling." \nThe exhibit runs through Jan. 31 at the African American Cultural Center in Ashton Coulter at the corner of Seventh and Union Streets. E-mail Gwendolyn Paulk, gpaulk@indiana.edu, for more information.