Andrew Young stated: "Dr Martin Luther King Jr. 'Saw His Own Assassination' when JFK was assassinated...King said: 'You better get ready'"

Story/Video by NewsOne Now

On the day the nation remembered the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy‘s assassination, former ambassador and civil rights warrior Andrew Young weighed in on his civil rights legacy on NewsOne Now with Roland Martin.

The Civil Rights community was shaken to the core by the slaying of our President John F Kennedy, not only because they admired his willingness to address the fight for Civil Rights, but because it meant they were even more vulnerable.

“The important thing Dr. King said then was, ‘If they cannot protect the President of the United States with 400 Secret Service [guards], our days are numbered, so you all just better get ready.’” Added Young, ”I think in the assassination of John Kennedy, he saw his own assassination.”

Though Kennedy eventually spoke publicly in support of Civil Rights, his civil rights records is sometimes viewed with rose-colored glasses. JFK initially opposed the idea of the 1963 March on Washington fearing it would turn violent. Still, said Andrew Young, “In spite of the fact that he didn’t agree with us, he allowed the march to continue. In our struggles during that time in the South, we sensed that JFK didn’t fully understand a lot about the South really worked.

JFK's death in Dallas was a great loss for us and one that we thought signified our own days were numbered.”