Martin Luther King, Jr. is pictured with Robert Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson on June 22, 1963. Martin Luther King Day is a national holiday celebrated throughout California with special events. Most parades and ceremonies occur on the weekend before the national holiday but here are a few events you can attend on the day in which he is honored. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 39. He is best known for the advancement of civil rights in the United States using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a recognized clergyman, activist, and spokesperson for equality.