On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, an African-American reverend, pacifist and human rights activist, was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee. King was in Memphis to support the health workers strike and was shot dead at age 39. He was a symbol of the struggle for civil rights and his participation in peaceful demonstrations has awakened the country's awareness of participation in the establishment of a more just society. His action earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
