Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.(21 images)

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famed "I Have Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. The speech galvanized the nation's civil rights movements and led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. cc/sp/files UPI | License Photo

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famed "I Have Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. The speech galvanized the nation's civil rights movements and led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. cc/sp/files UPI | License Photo

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is seen in Washington, DC, on August 23, 2011. This is the second day the Memorial is open to the public; it will be dedicated on August 28, the same day Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 48 years ago. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg | License Photo

Qwanzza Nivens becomes emotional as she looks at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial for the first time on opening day on August 22, 2011 in Washington, DC. The memorial features a 30-foot-tall statue of civil rights leader and is located near the Tidal Basin on the Washington Mall. The official opening dedication will be on Sunday, August 28, 2011, the 48th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech. UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is seen in Washington, DC, on August 23, 2011. This is the second day the Memorial is open to the public; it will be dedicated on August 28, the same day Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 48 years ago. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg | License Photo

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (C) and other Washington leaders stand at the base of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC, on August 23, 2011. This is the second day the Memorial is open to the public; it will be dedicated on August 28, the same day Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 48 years ago. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg | License Photo

A portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King is held up in the crowd during a dedication ceremony being held on the Mall in Washington, D.C., October 16, 2011. UPI/Mannie Garcia | License Photo

Singers Mary Mary perform during the Martin Luther King dedication being held on the Mall in Washington, D.C., October 16, 2011. UPI/Mannie Garcia | License Photo

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in a photo from 1966. (UPI Photo) | License Photo

Samaelia Robinson, 5-years-old, peeks over a Martin Luther King, Jr. t-shirt, January 20, 1986, during the unveiling of a King mural at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library. cc/sp/files UPI | License Photo

San Francisco: Students from the A.P. Giannini Middle School prepare to march up Market Street in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. 1/16/1989. (UPI Photo) | License Photo

Sen. Edward Kennedy was greeted here on August 8, 1966 in Jackson, Mississippi, by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (L) and Mississippi NAACP Field Director Charles Evers (R) as he arrived for a speech to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He told the group the U.S. should spend as much creating equal opportunities for Negroes as it does in Vietnam. (UPI Photo/Files) | License Photo

With a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. behind them, Mrs. Effie Barry, wife of the then mayor of D.C., and public school student Jonathan Schwartz participate in a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial, January 15, 1987. The ceremony marked the 58th anniversary of King's death. (UPI Photo/Files) | License Photo

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a 1968 photo. (UPI Photo) | License Photo

Washington: An estimated crowd of 10,000 marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. 1/15/1981, before gathering at the Washington Monument grounds. The event, sponsored by Stevie Wonder, is an effort to make King's birthday a national holiday. (UPI Photo) | License Photo

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. waves to the assembled crowd during the march on Washington August 28, 1963. Speaking from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,. King rallied the nation's civil rights movements with his impassioned "I have a Dream" speech. cc/sp/files UPI | License Photo

The leaders of the March on Washington lock arms as they lead the way along Constitution Avenue in this August 28, 1963 photo. The march gave immense impetus to the nation's civil rights movement and led to the passage of improtant new laws aimed at aiding black Americans. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is at center, seventh from right. At extreme right is A. Philip Randolph, the march director. Alongside Randolph is Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the NAACP. (UPI Photo) | License Photo

(UPI Photo) | License Photo

Chicago: the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr./ (L) with Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk from Vietnam at their news conference here late 5/31/1966. Thich Nhat Thanh's 30-day visit to the U.S. is sponsored by the International Committee of Conscience on Vietnam, of the fellowship of Reconciliation worldwide organization of clergy and laymen working for peace in Vietnam. Dr. King is one of the conveners of the committee. The Buddhist has expressed fears that he may face execution by the Ky government or assassination by the Vietcong because he has been critical of both sides in the war while on tour of the U.S. to plead for peace in Vietnam. (UPI Photo) | License Photo

Chciago: Elijah Muhammed, (L) head of the Black muslims, meets with Rev. Martin Luther King to discuss slum conditions in Chicago. The meeting was held in Muhammad's home. Dr. King tolds newsmen that he expected to outline the purposes of his current nonviolent cvil rights movement in Chicago during his visit with Muhammad. (UPI Photo) | License Photo

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (R) confers with Albert Raby, Chicago civil rights leader and head of the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations, at the National Council of Churches resort camp here late October 8, 1965. Dr. King had been meeting with Chicago civil rights leaders and later outlined his assault on segregation problems in Chicago. (UPI Photo/Files) | License Photo