Thousands gather in Memphis where King was slain

Lesa Webb of Denver holds a placard as she gathers to take part in the annual parade to mark the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, in Denver. Marchers gathered with politicians in spite of cold temperatures, a light snow and slippery roads to walk from Denver's City Park to Civic Center Park to note the holiday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Lesa Webb of Denver holds a placard as she gathers to take part in the annual parade to mark the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, in Denver. Marchers gathered with politicians in spite of cold temperatures, a light snow and slippery roads to walk from Denver's City Park to Civic Center Park to note the holiday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Thousands of people have celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday with song, dance and speechmaking at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.

The holiday weekend was a special father-and-son trip for Alan Williams and 14-year-old Alan Louis Williams. The pair from Tallahassee, Florida, visited important sites in King's life, including the site in Memphis where King declared, "I've been to the mountaintop."

The Commercial Appeal reports they were among visitors Monday to the civil rights museum.

Shamika Stinson traveled from Holly Springs, Mississippi, with her twin 10-year-old daughters, Ashley and Alyssa, who were clad in bright yellow and purple for a performance in the Watoto African dance troupe. Stinson says it was great to see different cultures coming together.

King was assassinated in 1968 at the Lorraine Motel, which is now part of the civil rights museum.

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