King Center to commemorate 50th anniversary of MLK's assassination

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The King Center in Atlanta held a news conference Thursday morning to reveal plans for the 50th-anniversary events commemorating the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

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King was fatally shot by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. The Civil Rights icon was assassinated while standing on the motel's second-floor balcony. 

Though his voice was silenced nearly 50 years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of nonviolence still resonates and inspires.

RELATED: Nation honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

King's youngest daughter, Dr. Bernice King, who was only five when her father was assassinated, will speak at Thursday's news briefing. 

"The unifying theme for the activities commencing April 3-9, 2018 and again on June 23-26, 2018 is MLK50Forward: Together we win with Love for Humanity," The King Center said in a news release. 

2018 also marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of The King Center. The late Coretta Scott King founded the organization following her husband's death in 1968. 

On April 4, officials with the King Center are calling for a Global bell ringing at 7:01 p.m. EST/6:01 p.m. CST, which marks the time Dr. King was killed.

A memorial service at Ebenezer Baptist Church followed by a March for Humanity will culminate the week of events on April 9. The march will begin at the King Center and end on the campus of Morehouse College.