Demonstrators march on MLK death anniversary

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Protesters against the war with Iraq joined several hundred people for a march honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on the 35th anniversary of his assassination.

"The truest kind of patriotism is to challenge your country to do the right thing," Joseph Lowery, a former King associate and longtime civil rights leader, told more than 3,500 people gathered for a memorial service for King following the march.

"Of course we support our troops. Don't let anybody insult you by saying because you're opposed to the policy that you don't support the troops. And the best support we can give is bringing them home alive."

The march began at LeMoyne-Owen College, a small, predominantly black school, and ended at Mason Temple, where King gave his now-famous "Mountain Top" speech the night before he died. Most of those at the service were schoolchildren.

Scattered among the marchers were signs reading "Remember King. Oppose Racism, War and Terrorism" and "Keep the dream alive. Find an alternative to war and destruction."

A champion of nonviolent social change and world peace, King was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War.

King was in Memphis to help lead a garbage workers' strike when he was shot on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of the former Lorraine Motel, now the home of the National Civil Rights Museum.

Escaped convict James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the murder. He died of liver disease in prison in 1998.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was at the hotel when King was shot, marked the anniversary by joining employees seeking union recognition at a Memphis distribution center for Freds Inc., a discount retail chain.

"The only things that have changed in 35 years are the faces of those engaged in the struggle," Jackson said.

Other events planned Friday included panel discussions and historical reviews of King's life, and a candlelight prayer vigil at the civil rights museum.

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On the Net:

The National Civil Rights Museum: http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/