"Even though Dr. King's life ended April 4, 1968, his ideas and dreams live on — they are just as powerful today as they were the day he was murdered."
Commemorations are taking place across the US to honor the legacy of black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
The most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement, King led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and helped organize the nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1963, he led the March on Washington where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The following year, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance, becoming its youngest recipient at age 35. In 1965, he helped organize the Selma to Montgomery marches. In his final years, King expanded his focus to include opposition towards poverty and the Vietnam War.
Fifty years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights icon's message is as timely and relevant as it's ever been, as Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez commemorated today in a statement.
"Today we solemnly remember that on this day 50 years ago, an assassin's bullet killed Dr. Martin Luther King. Even though Dr. King's life ended April 4, 1968, his ideas and dreams live on — they are just as powerful today as they were the day he was murdered.
Dr. King's life was one of staggering achievement. He dreamt of a better world and then gave his life doing all he could to achieve it. From his emergence onto the world stage organizing the Montgomery bus boycott, until the day he was murdered in Memphis while he helped organize striking sanitation workers, Dr. King made a difference. His life was one of tremendous impact.
I believe that the most appropriate way to honor Dr. King's titanic legacy is to continue his quest to build a fairer, more just society. That is why I vow to continue fighting for immigrants, reforming our broken bail system and doing all that I can to make sure our young people avoid the criminal justice system altogether.
I know that you all join me in thankful remembrance for Dr. King and all that he did to improve society for each and every one of us."
