Today, April 4th, marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The political activist was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, dying of a bullet wound in the neck, according to Walter Cronkite’s original coverage of the tragedy.
We celebrate Dr. King and the sacrifices he made for the advancement of our society, with several notable names taking to social media to recognize one of the most important figures in American history.
The Obama Foundation shared video of former President Barack Obama and Rep. John Lewis discussing MLK’s legacy 50 years after his passing.
This week—50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed—@BarackObama and @RepJohnLewis sat down with a group of young men for an @MBK_Alliance roundtable to talk about Dr. King’s legacy and the courage it takes to stand up for what you believe in: https://t.co/Hdfsf3iuOs pic.twitter.com/Y0b0RpJ36D
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) April 4, 2018
Rev. Al Sharpton also spoke on the slain leader’s impact and influence on MSNBC’s Hardball, sharing the footage via Twitter.
“He had a vision that was way beyond his time & it shaped the times that we’re living in. We’re nowhere where we need to be. Less than a week ago, I gave a a eulogy for an unarmed black man shot in Sacramento”- Reflecting on the legacy of Dr. King. #Hardball #StephonClark #MLK50 pic.twitter.com/QLA5scAw0i
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) April 4, 2018
The activist’s youngest child, Rev. Bernice King, recently spoke of her father at Mason Temple in Memphis, TN, where he gave his final speech. King shared the footage and dedicated a note to the father she lost at just five years old.
We have a choice, #America. My father preached “We as a people will get to the Promised Land” as he was preparing to preach “America may go to hell.” Tonight, I spoke at Mason Temple in Memphis, 50 years post #Mountaintop, & shared why. #MLK50Forward #MLK https://t.co/gbQuRZaX8t pic.twitter.com/W93enTevtF
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 4, 2018
Such an honor to have had you as a father and to still have you as a teacher. I greatly admire your courage and strength to love, and I learn from you daily. In the words of Maya Angelou, I “can be and be better because you existed.” Thank you. Miss you. #MLK #MLK50Forward pic.twitter.com/n9qD2X199z
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 4, 2018
Several other public figures have also shown their respects, including former Vice President Joe Biden, activist Brittany Packnett, rapper Common and more. Read several of their dedications to the icon below.
Dr. King was proof that the promise of America can beat so strongly in the heart of one person they can move this nation. We can all — 300 plus million Americans — honor Dr. King’s legacy by remembering that today. #MLK50
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 4, 2018
King was assassinated.
It wasn’t merely a tragedy, it was an intentional theft of life.
Why? Because the sanitized popular King of today isn’t real. They hated him-because he made them confront themselves. #MLK50
— Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) April 4, 2018
#MLK50: Our Brother Martin Luther King Jr. was only 39 years old when he was assassinated on this day 50 years ago. pic.twitter.com/bof40Ohd0v
— COMMON (@common) April 4, 2018
Wu Wenesday #MLK50 pic.twitter.com/iyGlfI8hMn
— RZA! (@RZA) April 4, 2018
Remember, reflect, re-commit to making Martin’s dream a reality!#MLK50 #Memphis pic.twitter.com/R08zR86U8k
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) April 4, 2018
When MLK Jr. was murdered fifty years ago today, he was planning a Poor People’s March on Washington. He spoke these words the night before he was assassinated. In the spirit of Dr. King, we must continue to fight for a future where no American is left behind. #MLK50 pic.twitter.com/cHnRepuFvy
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 4, 2018
50 years ago today, the nation lost a portion of its soul. #MLK50 https://t.co/ql30kNnJre
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) April 4, 2018
#MLK50 in his 1st CRM speech, 1st paragraph, 12/5/55:
“We are here in a general sense because first & foremost we are American citizens, and we are determined to apply our citizenship to the fullness of its meaning.”
Killed 12½yrs later by a career-criminal white ‘supremacist.’ pic.twitter.com/lsDexkgtEz
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) April 4, 2018
There will be no handholding of colonizers and so-called white allies today. We are commemorating the assassination of King today because he was killed by a white supremacist at age 39. Non-violence and respectability couldn’t save him. #MLK50
— April (@ReignOfApril) April 4, 2018
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in the very state that has now twice refused to denounce Nazis and the KKK. Shame on the Tennessee state legislature for such outrageous racism in the wake of Dr. King’s legacy. #MLK50
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) April 4, 2018
I’ll join civil rights and labor leaders tomorrow in Memphis to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination. Dr. King was not only one of the great civil rights leaders of the 20th century. He was also at the forefront of the fight for economic justice.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 3, 2018
Let us never forget that at the time of his death Martin Luther King was organizing a multi-racial Poor People’s Campaign and that he was assassinated in Memphis as he supported sanitation workers who were on strike for better wages and working conditions.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 3, 2018