Photo by MudflapDC

To mark the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., a vigil will be held this evening at the D.C. memorial built to honor the civil rights leader.

Mayor Vincent Gray will speak at the event organized by the Memorial Foundation, the group behind the building of the MLK Memorial on the National Mall. The candlelight vigil will also feature prayers, a participatory song and will conclude with a wreath laying at the Monument’s Stone of Hope.

On this date in 1968, King was murdered while he stood on the balcony of a hotel in Memphis, Tenn. His death led to days of riots in D.C., which destroyed parts of the city.

The vigil begins at 7 p.m.