April 4th A Day of Remembrance

Wreath with white flowers on the exterior of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

NPS Photo

On April 4, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King was in Memphis supporting black sanitation workers who were on strike and demanding safer working conditions and better pay. Dr. King’s funeral was held at Ebebzer Baptist Church on April 9th, 1968, followed by a procession of some 200,000 silent mourners walking to the Morehouse Campus for another funeral service as well. Ebenezer Baptist Church gained national significance through these connections to Dr. King and the role this church played in the Civil Rights Movement.

 

Duration:

8 minutes, 59 seconds

This video explores the events surrounding the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. while supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.