Leta McCollough Seletzky, author of The Kneeling Man and daughter of Marrell “Mac” McCollough—the man beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the moments after he was shot—joins History of the Present for a conversation about history, identity, and personal truth.
This is Episode 3 of History of the Present, a series from The Intellectualist focused on the convergence of major forces, including artificial intelligence, robotics, climate change, inequality, democracy, and space exploration, and how they are interacting at a critical moment in human civilization. The series examines how these forces intersect and reshape the world, bringing in voices that help make this moment more legible.
In The Kneeling Man, Leta McCollough Seletzky reconstructs her father’s life and his presence in that moment. At the time, he was a young Memphis police officer and, as the book presents it, operating in an undercover capacity in connection with the Invaders, a Black activist group in Memphis during the civil rights movement. After the shot, he moved toward Martin Luther King Jr. and attempted to render aid.
The conversation also touches on FBI surveillance of Dr. King during this period. In the discussion, the memo is referenced in connection with J. Edgar Hoover, but upon further clarification, it was, in fact, written by FBI official William Sullivan.
Learn more about the book
the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and its historical context
the Memphis sanitation workers strike and the tensions in Memphis in 1968
Marrell “Mac” McCollough’s role at the scene and his later work in law enforcement and government
the civil rights movement context surrounding the assassination
how a daughter reconstructs her father’s past through research and writing
how identity can shift across institutions, roles, and historical moments
This is a conversation about a moment in American history that is widely recognized, and the person within that moment who was not fully understood.
Follow The Intellectualist for future episodes of History of the Present on Youtube.
