The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
EVENTS FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY UNVEILED
From staff reports
The 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death is April 4, and the King Center announced Thursday events commemorating King’s life and his work.
The events include a Peace Prize award ceremony, coordinated bell ringing the moment King was shot in Memphis, Tenn., and the annual wreath-laying on King’s tomb.
King’s daughter the Rev. Bernice King said the events will mark a re-commitment to nonviolence. She said the anniversary is always a chance for her to remember, heal and recalibrate.
“Daddy gave the vision. The Eternal Flame burns near the King tomb at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. He outlined the philosophy and methodology but it was the people who embraced it,” King said.
She and all the supporters for the King Center events, which start on April 4, are embracing the movement led by Parkland, Florida, students demanding change in gun laws. For King, it reminds her of her father’s time.
“They did it with love, they did it with dignity, they did it with respect and honor,” King said.
And it was done back then without firing a shot or throwing a punch.
On April 4 at 6:01 p.m. CT, bells will ring around the world, marking the minute Dr. King was shot in Memphis, Tenn. While the world pauses to reflect on King’s legacy, Bernice King hopes the anniversary will facilitate an urgent conversation about nonviolence.
“We want to look toward solutions as these young people are forcing us to have the conversation,” King said.