King was shot and killed at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. A white man named James Earl Ray was convicted of the crime and died in prison.

Many events are planned across Memphis, including one at the motel itself, which now houses the National Civil Rights Museum. That museum has launched a program called MLK50 and is planning many events beginning March 31 and running through April 4, including, on that day, the tolling of a bell 39 times, once for each year of his life, at 6:01 p.m., the time he was killed. Also planned are viewings of a series of commemorative films and a bus tour of Memphis and the places that were special to King. Special guests are to be Atlanta Representative John Lewis, who was a strong leader in the civil rights movement, including one of the main organizers for the 1963 March on Washington; and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a two-time presidential candidate and longtime civil rights leader who was with King the night he died. The center will also be the destination of the 50 Mile March to Memphis, which starts in Dundee, Miss.

King's widow, Coretta Scott King, herself a strong leader in the civil rights movement, was the driving force behind the founding of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change; that center's director, Bernice King, said that the center would also have many events to help remember the legacy of both of her parents.

In the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., a nonprofit organization called Washington for Jobs and Freedom will conduct a walking tour that will include a stop at the spot at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.