Today makes 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr was assinated on a motel balcony in Memphis,Tennessee in 1968.
In New York and across the nation people will take a moment of silence to remember the reverend and his lasting legacy . His mission to address racism and poverty defined the civil rights movement era.
Not only was Dr. King battling racism in the North and South, he was also pushing the government to address social problems like poverty , segregation and income inequality .
In honor of MLK there will be several events all over the Tri-state area on Wednesday.
The events began Tuesday night in Washington Square Park, where Dr. King's image was projected onto the arch, while is voice echoed throughout Washington Square Park, delivering his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” sermon.
Mayor Bill de Blasio wore a NYC Sanitation jacket in honor of the MLKS work for sanitation workers whom the civil rights leader was in Memphis fighting for when he was killed.
"He never meant it to be an idea only for that time for that year 1968, he meant it to be something that would live and grow, it was his dream that was supposed to be everybody's and it required everyday people to standup and do something," Mayor de Blasio said.
Photo : Getty & Katie Peurrung