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Thursday, Apr 5, 2012 2:30 AM UTC

MLK’s children mark 44th anniversary of his death

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Topics: From the Wires,

MLK's children mark 44th anniversary of his deathCivil rights activists and Southern Christian Leadership Conference members from left, Ralph Worrell, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Jr., C.T. Vivian and Frederick Moore, join hands during the singing of "We Shall Overcome" after laying a wreath at the gravesite of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., marking the 44th anniversary of his assassination, Wednesday, April 4, 2012, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)(Credit: AP)

ATLANTA (AP) — Two of Martin Luther King Jr.’s children have marked the 44th anniversary of his death by launching efforts to prevent youth violence.

King Center CEO Bernice King and her brother, Martin Luther King III, on Wednesday announced separate initiatives with the Centers for Disease Control and The Carter Center.

King, who championed non-violent social change and racial and economic equality, was fatally shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968.

Bernice King said the King Center will work with the CDC to build its capacity to lead on youth violence prevention and key health problems affecting minorities and poor communities.

King’s death was also marked by wreath-layings at his Atlanta gravesite, the renaming of a section of a Memphis street in his honor, and a candlelight vigil at the new MLK Memorial in Washington.

Errin Haines

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