To honor Black History Month, the hearse that carried Martin Luther King Jr. is now on display at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center through February 27. The hearse is located in Lobby A of the Center and is completely free to the public from 8am-5pm.
The 1966 Cadillac hearse carried King after he was assassinated in 1968 at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The vehicle is on loan from the CEO Of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Todd Graves. The exhibit itself is sponsored by New Orleans & Company, the convention center, and Raising Cane’s.
“Many of us did not get a chance to hear Dr. King during his lifetime, so I am hoping they will be able to appreciate him and his work through this tribute to honor his life.”
– Todd Graves, CEO of Raising Cane’s
King is notably known for his contributions to the civil rights movement as a prominent leader and minister. He organized boycotts, including the Montgomery, AL bus boycott in 1955, and in 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King delivered his monumental “I Have a Dream” public speech, which was delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.