The shot that rang out in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, still echoes through generations.
A young mother stood in the crowd and explained to her child what happened that day. “A lot of people risked their lives, so you could have equal opportunity," she said.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death forever changed the civil rights movement, but it did not stop it.
"We are determined one bullet will not kill a movement, the gunman will not have the last word,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Rev. Jackson is one of the last people still living who was with Dr. King the night he was assassinated. Being on the balcony 50 years later is still difficult for him.
"The pain. You pull back the scab, and the sore is still raw. The blood still oozes. The blood will never stop oozing,” said Rev. Jackson.
The Rev. Peter Johnson from Dallas was with the Southern Leadership Conference and one of Dr. King's foot soldiers. He had to be here to mark the moment Dr. King was killed.
At 6:01 p.m., a bell tolled at the Lorraine Motel.
"To stand here looking at the balcony and thinking about all the friends that were a part of the movement. gone to glory,” said Rev. Johnson.
Students from the University of North Texas also made the journey here. Christopher Marshall said he had to be a part of history.
"The gravity of the moment is just very immense to realize this was the ending of someone's life but the beginning of their legacy," he said.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Dr. King may be gone, but he lives on in those who continue to fight for justice and equality. His dream is very much alive.