April: The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. shakes the civil rights movement and reinforces the sense of disillusionment among African Americans in Atlanta and the nation.

For two days before Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral his body lay in state in Sisters Chapel on Spelman's campus. During the hours the Chapel was open, 80,000 people passed by the open casket.

After her husband’s death, Coretta Scott King establishes the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change to continue his mission.

The Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, King’s friend and advisor, heads the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) after the death of King.

June: The assassination of presidential candidate Robert Kennedy is viewed by many as another attempt to end the move towards a more liberal and just nation.