Watch CBS News

Hopkins Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. With Annual Event

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and The Johns Hopkins Hospital are celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of what would have been the civil rights leader's 86th birthday.

The school of medicine and hospital are hosting an annual commemoration of King's life on Friday. The keynote speaker at the event will be the founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Morris Dees. King's birthday is Jan. 15. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

This is the 33rd year of the commemoration at Johns Hopkins. Speakers at previous commemorations have included King's widow, Coretta Scott King, South African bishop Desmond Tutu, civil rights activist Rosa Parks, musician Stevie Wonder and poet Maya Angelou.

The celebration is open to the public.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.