Lawmakers mark Civil Rights Act 50th anniversary with medal for Martin Luther King Jr., wife

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House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, presents Lonnie Bunch III with a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the late Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr., who were instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Tuesday, June 24, 2014, during a 50th anniversary ceremony of the law in the Capitol Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington. From left are, Dexter King, Bernice King, Bunch, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Boehner, Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON – Congressional leaders are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act by posthumously bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal upon Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King.

The Kings’ children, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King and Bernice A. King, were expected to accept the honour for their parents. The civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis in 1968. His wife died in 2006.

Bernice King said in a statement that she and her brothers are deeply honoured that their parents are being recognized for their, quote “tireless and sacrificial leadership to advance freedom and justice.”

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law on July 2, 1964. It helped end legal discrimination based on race, sex, colour, religion and national origin.

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