New marker to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. speech in Fort Worth

Fort Worth is honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King with a new marker detailing a visit he made to the city in the 1950s.

King addressed a crowd of hundreds of people in Fort Worth in 1959 and preached equality as the civil rights movement was beginning to grow. On the 50th anniversary of King's death, the city announced plans for the new marker.

The MLK marker will be near the location where the Majestic Theater once stood and where Dr. King spoke to a diverse group of 400 people on Oct. 22, 1959.

"Those who came -- black, white, brown -- were extremely courageous individuals and the owner of the Majestic integrated Fort Worth by allowing all of them to come down through the front door and sit in the lower level seats for the first time in the history of Fort Worth,” said Rev. Kyev Tatum.

The $6,000 for the historic marker has been raised and production will start soon. It will be similar to a marker created in honor of President John F. Kennedy, who spent his final night alive in Fort Worth.

A huge festival and celebration is planned for the unveiling of the MLK historic marker on Oct. 22 later this year.