58 years ago: Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated

Martin Luther King Jr.

On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was supporting striking sanitation workers. The night before, King delivered what would be his final speech at Mason Temple.  

King left behind a powerful legacy, in no small part due to his impactful speeches. At the end of the Selma to Montgomery marches, organized to demand voting rights for Black Americans, King delivered one of his many speeches on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol.

Today, in the face of current right-wing white supremacy and fascism, the dream that King shared during the 1963 March on Washington remains one of the shining moments in U.S. history. 

King’s dream is still shared by people across the world, and his words remain a beacon of hope that no amount of hate could ever extinguish.