Memphis remembers MLK 50 years after his death

Fifty years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., his family, colleagues, and those affected by his legacy are gathering at events across the country to remember him, particularly in Memphis, Tenn., where King was gunned down April 4, 1968, on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel. King, who was 39, was in Memphis to protest the low pay and poor working conditions of the city’s sanitation workers. On Wednesday, the union he supported led a march in his memory. Other events in the city feature the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and celebrities such as the rapper Common. And the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, together with The Gospel Coalition, is hosting the MLK50 conference this week in Memphis to reflect on racial unity. Speakers include Jackie Hill Perry, Eric Mason, Russell Moore, John Piper, and Benjamin Watson. On Tuesday night, a celebration at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ in Memphis commemorated King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, which he delivered at the church the night before he was assassinated. In it, he said, “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”