Martin Luther King Jr anniversary: Crowds gather in Memphis for events to honour rights' leader's legacy - as it happened

As the world marks the milestone, attention turns to the ongoing disparity between white and black Americans in modern society

50 years on from Martin Luther King's assassination, did his dream come true?

Admirers gathered in Memphis to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr‘s final speech in Memphis 50 years ago.

The commemoration mirrored events half a century ago, when an enthusiastic crowd roused Dr King from his bed at the Lorraine Motel for an unplanned appearance, when he delivered his famous “Mountaintop” speech without notes.

Bernice King, his daughter, addressed the audience and called on her older brother, Martin Luther King III, to join her at the pulpit.

She discussed the difficulty of publicly mourning their father, a man who was hated during his lifetime but is now celebrated around the world.

“It’s important to see two of the children who lost their daddy 50 years ago to an assassin’s bullet,” said Ms King, now 55.

“But we kept going. Keep all of us in prayer as we continue the grieving process for a parent that we’ve had yet to bury.”

As the world marked the 50th anniversary of Dr King’s murder, the milestone coincided with a resurgence of white supremacy, the continued shootings of unarmed black men, and a parade of discouraging statistics on the lack of progress among black Americans on issues from housing to education to wealth.

But rather than despair, the resounding message was one of resilience, resolve, and a renewed commitment to Dr King’s legacy and unfinished work.

[4 April 2018 20:53 · Kristin Hugo]

Clara Ester, who witnessed King’s assassination when she was just a college student, described the event in an interview with CNN.

Ms Ester said rushed to his side after the shooting and tried to save him, but it was too late. She said the anniversary is difficult every year, but more so now than ever.

“It’s more difficult now I think than before, primarily because I think we have circled back to where we may have been 50 years ago, as far as what's just and right for God's people – all of God's people, and not just a selected few,” she said.