Tennessee

Historical marker dedicated to MLK at Memphis airport

Associated Press
Published | Updated

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, second from left, and Andrew Young, second from right, pose for photos after the unveiling of a historical marker at Memphis International Airport commemorating the final flight of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, April 3, 2017 in Memphis, Tenn. Also pictured are Operation Hope founder and CEO John Hope Bryant, far left, SunTrust Bank executive Johnny Moore, far right, and Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority board member Pamela Clary, third from right. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz). (The Associated Press)

The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks at the unveiling of a historical marker at Memphis International Airport commemorating the final flight of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, April 3, 2017 in Memphis, Tenn. It was the first in a yearlong series of events taking place ahead of the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz) (The Associated Press)

A yearlong series of events taking place ahead of the 50th anniversary of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, has kicked off with the unveiling of a historical marker commemorating the civil rights leader's final flight.

Two aides and confidantes of King, Andrew Young and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, helped dedicate the marker Monday at Memphis International Airport.

King flew into Memphis 49 years ago — on April 3, 1968 — to support a sanitation workers strike. Eastern Airlines Flight 381 landed in Memphis late after the plane was delayed in Atlanta due to a bomb threat.

That night, King delivered the famed "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech at Mason Temple Church of God in Christ. He was assassinated the next day at the old Lorraine Motel.