MEMPHIS, Tenn. — This Sunday marks the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. To honor Dr. King, the National Civil Rights Museum plans to host another virtual commemoration this year.
“This April fourth, and every April fourth, is a moment to really sit in the discomfort of what happened,” said Noelle Trent with the NCRM.
Trent said the day is a time to reflect on King’s vision and message.
“Yes, there was a loss that happened at 6:01 on the balcony of room 306 here in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968, but in that loss there was hope and there was power,” said Trent.
Hope that one day the nation would see an end to social injustice and power in knowing there are people who will continue to seek it.
Trent said this Sunday the museum will host its 53rd commemoration titled “Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. The Moment.”
Since the anniversary falls on Easter Sunday, Trent said the museum will host the event virtually.
“This is just a way for all of us to recommit ourselves to this work. To recommit ourselves to social justice,” she said.
And the timing of the commemoration couldn’t come at a more delicate time.
For the past year, the nation has been faced with the hardships of the pandemic and the fight for racial equality during the Black Lives Matter movement and now the Stop Asian Hate movement.
Trent said even though they can’t gather in person, she said the pandemic has shown her unity expands beyond physical borders.
“Unity is about the deliberate act of engaging with your neighbor and connecting with your neighbor,” she said. “We have found out in this last year your neighbor is no longer the person who lives next door to you. My neighbor is the person in Australia. My neighbor is the person in Ghana.”
The commemoration starts Sunday at 5 p.m. and can be viewed on the National Civil Rights Museum’s website and social media.