Here, on April 4, 1968 … / … Today, a Place of Remembrance

Here, on April 4, 1968 …, also, … Today, a Place of Remembrance. . , Here, on April 4, 1968 … , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the balcony in front of Room 306, discussing that evening's sanitation strike meeting with aides. King requested his favorite spiritual, “Precious Lord,” be played that night. Those were some of the last words King would speak. At 6:01 pm, a bullet streaked across Mulberry Street. Official investigations concluded that the bullet that felled King was fired from a window in the boarding house behind you. King was rushed to St. Joseph Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m., As they learned about Dr. King's death, black Memphians grieved together and honored the slain leader at the Lorraine Motel., … Today, a Place of Remembrance , The Lorraine Motel's business declined and the building went into foreclosure after Dr. King's death. In 1982, local black community leaders saved the Lorraine from being destroyed. They then worked to transform the site into the National Civil Rights Museum., With the museum, the motel has taken on a new purpose. A place for remembering the life and legacy of Dr. King and many others, the Lorraine Motel now offers an in-depth look at the movement that thrust King into the spotlight and changed America. The Legacy exhibits in the buildings across the street explore how his vision, and the vision of thousands more, lives on., Captions , [Left panel, clockwise from top left] , . View of Room 306 from the boarding house. Courtesy of The Memphis Commercial Appeal , . Witnesses point to the source of the bullet. Courtesy of Joseph Loew/Time and Life Images/Getty Images , . King marches with strike supporters, March 28, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. believed that all labor had dignity. Deeply committed to workers' rights. Dr. King felt compelled to join the striking sanitation workers in Memphis despite ongoing threats to his life. Aware that supporting the strikers would be unpopular and dangerous, he marched side by side with the city's workers in the campaign. Courtesy of Jack Thurnell/AP Images , [Right panel, top to bottom] , . Memorial march in Memphis. April 8, 1968. (remainder illegible) , . The Lorraine Motel, May 2, 1968. (remainder illegible)