Bells Across U.S. to Toll 39 Times in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

The assassination 50 years ago of Martin Luther King Jr. will be marked Wednesday with events in the city where he was born, the city where he was gunned down, and other places around the nation.

Black American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) addresses crowds during the March On Washington at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, where he gave his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. (Credit: Central Press/Getty Images)

Sites across the United States will ring bells 39 times, symbolizing the civil rights leader’s age at his death.

Here’s a look at some of the events planned to honor King’s legacy:

Atlanta

– In the city of his birth, the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize will be awarded Wednesday morning to lawyers Benjamin Ferencz, for his work prosecuting German Nazi leaders at Nuremburg, and Bryan Stevenson, for his work to make mandatory life-without-parole sentences for all children 17 or younger unconstitutional.

– The Ebenezer Baptist Church choir will sing the National Anthem and “God Bless America” when the Atlanta Braves host the Washington Nationals. The game starts at 12:10 p.m. ET.

– At 7:01 p.m. ET, a bell at the King center will toll for each year of King’s life. Members of his family also will lay a wreath at the crypts of King and his widow, Coretta Scott King.

Memphis

Ceremonies are planned in Memphis, where King was slain while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.

– Tributes saluting King will take place in the courtyard of the motel, now home to the National Civil Rights Museum. The event will be available on live stream starting at 10:30 a.m. ET.

– A commemorative ceremony begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. It will include an interfaith liturgy, musical tributes, and a ceremonial changing of the wreath outside Room 306.

– At 7:01 p.m. ET, the bell from the historic Clayborn Temple will ring 39 times as part of the International Moment of Reflection.

Washington

– Events in the nation’s capital start at 7 a.m. ET with a morning prayer vigil at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

– A silent march then will take place from the King memorial to the National Mall.

– The ACT to End Racism Rally throughout the day will feature speakers, including religious leaders, artists, and activists.

from KTLA https://ift.tt/2GwiXV1