ATLANTA — The King family held a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday afternoon on the 53rd anniversary of the civil rights leader’s assassination.
King was shot outside the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis in 1968. The ceremony was at 1 p.m. at the King Center Reflecting Pool along Auburn Avenue.
King’s children commemorated the anniversary of their father’s death on social media.
“53 years ago today. One week after my 5th birthday. You were gone,” Bernice King wrote. “Assassinated for answering a call to conscience, for speaking truth to power, for being a drum major for justice who sought to rid the world of racism, militarism and poverty. I miss you. Still. Always.”
53 years ago today.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 4, 2021
One week after my 5th birthday.
You were gone.
Assassinated for answering a call to conscience, for speaking truth to power, for being a drum major for justice who sought to rid the world of racism, militarism and poverty.
I miss you. Still. Always. pic.twitter.com/jXcwYWLep0
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In a series of tweets, Martin Luther King III asked the public to remember his father’s legacy.
“I was only 10 years old when my father was killed, but at the time of his funeral, I fully realized the impact and importance of what my father was trying to do. Create a world of freedom, justice & equality for all,” King III wrote alongside a sweet photo of himself and his sister with their father as children.
Several more commemoration events are being held:
7 p.m. Sunday -- Atlanta Civil Rights Gathering starts at 7 p.m. at 678 Joseph B. Boone Blvd. Participants will walk to 234 Sunset Ave -- the last home of Dr. King -- and hold a prayer vigil to honor him.
7 p.m. Sunday [VIRTUAL] -- A group of activists and organizers are hosting a webinar and panel discussion where speakers will recite King’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech calling for an end to the war in Southeast Asia. The speech was delivered April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination.
6 p.m. Sunday [VIRTUAL] The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel hosts a virtual commemoration, “Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. The Moment”
Through April 9: National Center for Civil and Human Rights offers a digital exhibit through April 9, about King’s concept of the “beloved community” called We Share the Dream: King’s Beloved Community.
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