After King was assassinated, his wife, Coretta, flew to Memphis to claim his body and return it to Atlanta for the funeral. Before King’s body was removed from the plane, Coretta brought her children aboard to say goodbye to their father privately. However, she struggled to explain King’s death to their youngest daughter, five-year-old Bernice. 

Beginning on April 7, King’s body was laid out for a public viewing at one of Atlanta’s historically Black colleges. More than 60,000 people came to pay their respects, waiting in a line that sometimes stretched an entire mile. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a National Day of Mourning, and ministers across the country led their churches in prayers. 

On April 8, Coretta returned to Memphis with Ralph Abernathy and her three oldest children to lead the march King was organizing when he died. She returned to Atlanta that evening, and King’s funeral was held the following day. His memorial drew “massive crowds” as important people from across the country arrived in Atlanta. The funeral was held at King’s own Ebenezer Baptist Church, and 1,000 people squeezed into a space built to hold 750. 

One important person was missing from the proceedings: President Lyndon B.