Reverend Jesse Jackson recalls the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis 40 years ago.
Jackson talks about the moments shortly before King's death. He talks about King's reluctance to speak at the Mason Temple. But, eventually on April 3, 1968, King delivered what was to be his last speech (known as the "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech) at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters) in Memphis, Tennessee.
The next day, King was assassinated.
"We could not have known how severe the threats were, and how imminent death was... He may have known, because he felt the pressures. That (the I've Been to the Mountaintop speech) was kind of a transitional speech 'I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord'..."
Reverend Samuel “Billy” Kyles sits next to Jackson as he recalls the day. Kyles was on the balcony only a few feet away when King was shot.
Jackson called King's wife, Coretta Scott King shortly after the event.
