On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on a motel balcony in Memphis.

Today, Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of the slain civil rights leader, wants to change the focus of the anniversary of his father's death.

The Martin Luther King III Institute for Social Justice and Human Rights and the Prevention Institute  will sponsor a program "April 4th Revisited: Saving Lives, Building Dreams!" during a day-long program at the Carter Center.

Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The program includes  panel discussions on youth violence prevention, how to build a peaceful community and violence as a public health issue. Speakers include include actor Tyrese Gibson;  Angel Ponce, a youth violence prevention activist; former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young;  and Dr. Howard Spivak, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com