50-years-ago-1963

50 years ago. Today I read an article at the Atlantic.com – and then I started to remember myself: In the year 1963 I was aged 18, loved the BEATLES, made my high school’s newspaper, was carried with my school camerades to Berlin to listen to John F. Kennedy saying “I am a Berliner” (of course I took a photo of him and Willy Brand), noticed the battle between Black and White in Birmingham, Alabama, read about Martin Luther King (and wrote about the German Martin Luther for my diploma, preparing to study theology), made some debates about the war in Vietnam – was shocked, as president Kennedy was killed. I adored Jacques-Yves Cousteau, wrote my first book reviews about French existentialism, especially about the myth of Sisyphus, written by Albert Camus. It was a Sisyphus goal to change the conflicts between black and white in USA (I sang old gospels as a lead vocalist in a theatre in Germany, in the background a spiritual choir) – but it was also a Sisyphus goal to fight vs. Nazism (and the Neo-Nazism) in Germany. 1963, I had the music (listened to the folk singers Joan Baez and Bob Dylan), the photography, the English newspapers to climb out of my narrow minded German local horizons. Will never forget, that Kennedy gave optimism – he was wind below my wings; sad that he was killed [and later Dr. Martin Luther King too]…

title=”Portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) – photo uploaded by The U.S. National Archives, click on the portrait to enter their galleries on Flickr [sent to my group BLOG IT]
related:
the Atlantic.com: 50-years-ago-the-world-in-1963
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hits of 1963: