Visitors look up from the street at a wreath hanging on

the balcony of the former Lorraine Motel, now part of

the National Civil Rights Museum, where Martin Luther

King Jr was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Today is the 40^th anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There has been media coverage of this somber date with CNN broadcasting a splendid special report with heretofore unseen footage and interviews of individuals connected with the date.

There's controversy over whether James Earl Ray actually killed King and an especially noteworthy offering of the truth on the view of King by the rest of America; especially our government.

King was been beatified subsequent to his death but his powerful words were very much despised by our governmental leaders. While King espoused peace, he also criticized our government's involvement in the Viet Nam War. He fought for the civil rights of oppressed people and began a campaign against poverty. King was a visionary.

Sadly, the United States has yet to overcome many of the challenges of King's era. There are blacks, Latinos and women in positions of power in government, business, education and the Arts. But for the masses of blacks and other minorities, the King dream is still deferred.