While in Memphis filming Soul Men, actor Samuel Jackson helped paint the railing at the hotel where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was gunned down.

April 4, 2008, marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination that sparked riots around the nation, and volunteers are helping to clean the National Civil Rights Museum’s surroundings.

Cities such as Memphis and Atlanta are planning events to mark the tragic death but everlasting legacy of the great man of God who was pivotal in civil rights legislation gains.

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride