On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot and killed at 6:01 pm while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

This evening the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel will present a hybrid commemoration in honor of Dr. King’s life and legacy on Monday, April 4, the 54th anniversary of his death.

I was unexpectedly asked to join Rev. Jesse Jackson in Memphis this evening for the memorial service for Dr. King’s death anniversary. To say this has been a memorable day would be the greatest understatement of my life.

I am honored and humbled to have been asked to sit beside Rev. Jackson as he spoke about unity and peace.