Monday marks the 54th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
He was shot and killed on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, while he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.
He was 39.
According to The King Institute at Stanford University, Dr. King was in Memphis to show his support to striking sanitation workers, even speaking to a group of them the night before he died.
He delivered his last speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop," at a church.
The following day, he was shot and killed by James Earl Ray, NPR reported.
After King was assassinated, the city settled with striking workers and recognized their union, the news outlet reported.
The Associated Press reported that James Earl Ray pleaded guilty on March 10, 1969, to assassinating Dr. King.
He later repudiated his plea and maintained his innocence until he died on April 23, 1998.
The site where the hotel stood is now home to the National Civil Rights Museum, which will commemorate the anniversary of his death, The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported.
On Monday, The King Center will conduct a wreath-laying ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. local time in Atlanta.
