James Cole, Jr., general counsel at the U.S. Department of Education, will give remarks at a special musical tribute to commemorate the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tomorrow at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.
The annual commemoration at the museum is a community-focused observance of the life and legacy of King. It will include a march, starting from Mason Temple, where King gave his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, where he was shot and killed on April 4, 1968. After the march, the museum will feature the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Central High School Choir, vocalist Debra Manning Thomas and music from local artists.
The program will start at 10:30 a.m. CT, and kick off a day-long commemoration, concluding with a salute to King by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., of which he was a member. The event is titled "Heartache to Harmony – a Memphis Musical Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."
The National Civil Rights Museum chronicles key episodes of the American civil rights movement and the legacy of this movement to inspire participation in civil and human rights efforts globally, through its collections, exhibitions and educational programs.