Dr. King’s Last Flight

On April 3, 1968, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a pivotal leader in the Modern civil Rights Movement, landed at Memphis Metropolitan Airport for what would be his last trip, his last speech, and his last full day on earth. Prior to leaving Atlanta, airline officials halted King's flight because of a bomb threat. After no explosive device was found, King proceeded to Memphis to support the city's striking sanitation workers. Upon his arrival, reporters besieged King and asked him about the previous week's chaotic march and a pending injunction by Memphis city officials to prevent another march. Later that night he delivered his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech at Mason Temple. "We, as a people, will get to the Promised Land," he said. On April 4, James Earl Ray assassinated King as he stood on the balcony outside his room (306) at the Lorraine Motel, now part of the National Civil Rights Museum complex in downtown Memphis.