Fifty years ago, the site where the National Civil Rights Museum stands today was where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed by a sniper.
It was 6:01 p.m. Central when King was murdered at the Lorraine Motel on Mulberry Street in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. His legacy has lived on as a Americans continue the fight for equality and a country more accepting of diversity.
Memphis will honor that legacy with a series of events on Wednesday April 4, 2018. Programs are open to the public and free with the price of admission to the museum from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day. There is a nationwide bell-tolling planned for 6:01 p.m.
Day of Remembrance events:
10 a.m.: Daylong tributes from the MLK50 main stage in the Museum Courtyard – Performances and reflections from civil rights leaders
3:30 p.m.: A "6:01" 50th anniversary ceremony from the valcony of the Lorraine Motel – Official ceremony with the laying of a wreath, ecumenical liturgy, musical and spoken word tributes, and remarks from civil rights icons
6:01 p.m.: Bell toll – Bells ring at places of worship, college campuses or institutions 39 times across the nation to honor the number of years Dr. King was alive
6:15 p.m.: Evening of storytelling – Civil Rights Icons and New Movement Makers in dialogue about “the Movement” then and now; Ticketed event at Crosstown Concourse.
For those who wish to have their business or organization participate in the nation-wide bell toll: "Bells will first ring at the National Civil Rights Museum at 6:01 p.m. CST. Bells will chime in the City of Memphis at 6:03 p.m. CST, 6:05 p.m. CST nationally and 6:07 p.m. CST internationally," according to the website mlk50.civilrightsmuseum.org. Click here to learn how to join the bell toll.