Congress marks King anniversary

Congressional leaders paid tribute to Martin Luther King with his son

The United States Congress has marked the eve of the 40th anniversary of the death of civil rights leader Martin Luther King with tributes and speeches.

Dr King's son, Martin Luther King III, was among those to speak in Washington.

He will also take part on Friday in events in Memphis, Tennessee, where his father was shot dead on 4 April, 1968.

Among those expected to attend are John McCain, the likely Republican nominee, and Hillary Clinton, seeking to be the Democrats' choice to run for president.

Senator Barack Obama, Senator Clinton's rival for the Democratic nomination, will not be in Memphis on Friday, campaign aides said.

Embrace a dream

Giving speeches in Capitol Hill's Statuary Hall on Thursday, leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives paid tribute to Dr King's memory.

A candle-lit vigil will be held at the site where Dr King was shot in 1968

"Because of the leadership of this man we rose up out of fear and became willing to put our bodies on the line," said Congressman John Lewis, from Georgia, who worked alongside Dr King in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid noted that Dr King's body had not been brought to lie in honour at the Capitol Rotunda after his assassination.

"Yet because our country dared to embrace his dream, his statue now stands there permanently, just steps from where we are," he said.

Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, head of the 43-member Congressional Black Caucus, also spoke at the ceremony.

Powerful legacy

A candle-lit vigil is to be held at the National Civil Rights Museum, the site of the Lorraine Motel where Dr King was shot, in Memphis on Friday evening.

Martin Luther King III and civil rights campaigner the Rev Al Sharpton are to lead what the latter is calling a "recommitment march" to the site, highlighting Dr King's ideals of social justice.

To mark the anniversary, Mrs Clinton posted a video on her campaign website urging people to reflect on Dr King's legacy.

"Americans all across our great country and people around the world have been inspired to achieve great things because of Dr Martin Luther King Jr - because of his teachings and because of his life," she says.

"On 4 April, we observe the 40th anniversary of his death, and it is important that we take a moment to reflect on his legacy."

Referring to the economic woes facing many Americans today, Mrs Clinton said she was running for president because she remembered Dr King's challenge always to do more to help others.