Dr. King led a revolution of change fighting for the most basic of human rights -- equality," said Dubuc. "As we reflect on the fortieth anniversary of his death, Tom Brokaw will bring to life King’s legacy. The personal and historical revelations here are a poignant message for today’s times."

In a rare television interview, Dr. King’s son Martin Luther King III shares his memories and thoughts about his father in the special. In an insightful conversation with Brokaw, he talks about how he carries his father’s torch today by leading a new campaign against poverty called "Realizing the Dream." During the interview, he takes Brokaw into the field to show him the devastating poverty still plaguing our nation.

Some of Dr. King’s closest confidants draw viewers inside his mind as he led the civil rights movement; and others from public life and entertainment speak about his indelible influence on their lives. Among those interviewed in the special are Andrew Young, Former President Bill Clinton, Harry Belafonte, Chuck D, Forest Whitaker, Rep. John Lewis and many others. KING brings to life many aspects of his unwavering fight for civil rights: his decision to join the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama; the fateful march in Selma; his incarceration in Birmingham; the march on Washington; and his tragic death in Memphis. It shows his personal struggles and triumphs, moments of doubt and weakness, and his humility and humanity.

"With every passing year we have a greater understanding of the magnitude of Dr. King’s achievements and the historic place he occupies in the pantheon of American heroes," said Brokaw. "As a young reporter in the South I was witness to his courage and his oratorical genius in the face of often violent resistance to the idea that every American should have equal rights. Revisiting that time and his place in it has been a deeply rewarding experience."

Forty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., CNN will launch a sweeping on-air and digital initiative, CNN Presents: Black in America. Breaking new ground in revealing the current state of Black America, this landmark programming features six hours of documentaries, a weekly series of reports that will air on CNN/U.S. and CNN International and appear as part of a multimedia online effort. The programming, which airs over four months in 2008, focuses on fresh analysis from new voices about the real lives behind the stereotypes, statistics and identity politics that frequently frame the national dialogue about Black America.

Reported by anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, Black in America begins with the two-hour premiere of Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination, a first-person account of what happened on April 4, 1968.

Black in America : Eyewitness to Murder – The King Assassination, Thursday, April 3, 9 p.m. (two hours)

In this first installment of CNN’s Black in America series, O’Brien investigates how James Earl Ray, an armed robber and escaped convict, had already spent an uncommon year on the run that included plastic surgery just a month before his path collided with that of the civil rights leader in Memphis, Tenn. Through interviews with witnesses and investiga to rs, O’Brien retraces the steps of King, Ray, the FBI and Memphis police and explores alternative scenarios of who was ultimately responsible for the murder that, for some, represented the end of the American Civil Rights era.

Black in America continues in July with two additional two-hour documentaries that will air on CNN/U.S. and CNN International:

Black in America: The Black Man, Wednesday, July 23, 9 p.m. (two hours)

Perhaps the most misreported group in America to day, black men are often stereotypically depicted in the media as convicts, gang members and absentee fathers. Told through the personal s to ries of graduates of the 1968 class of Little Rock Central High School , their sons and grandsons, for The Black Man, O’Brien seeks to determine whether life is better for black men now than it was 40 years ago. She reports on the disparities between blacks and whites in educational, career and economic achievement and fac to rs leading to the devastating rates of black male incarceration. Contributing expert analysis are Harvard economist Dr. Roland Fryer, Prince to n professor Dr. Devah Pager, journalist/social commenta to r Ellis Cose; and George to wn University professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson; and others. O’Brien reports on successes and dissects myths to explore the state of black men in America to day.

Black in America: The Black Woman & Family, Thursday, July 24, 9 p.m. (two hours)

In this installment of Black in America, O’Brien, examines the unique and varied experiences of black women and families in America . O’Brien looks at the reasons behind the disturbing
statistics on single parenthood, disparities between black and white students in the classroom, and the devastating to ll of HIV/AIDS on black women. The Black Woman & Family yields insights in to black achievements and struggles and perspectives on King’s hopes for progress. The documentary is to ld through the experiences of the Hous to n-based Rand family with expert commentary from economist and Bennett College president Julianne Malveaux, Essence magazine edi to r-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray, Dallas-based preacher and life coach Bishop T.D. Jakes, TV/radio personality Michael Baisden, entrepreneur and activist Russell Simmons, ac to r Vanessa Williams, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher Dr. Camara Jones and others.

As part of the Black in America series, weekly special reports will air between April and June that investigate to pics including parenthood and marital rates among black adults, high rates of HIV/AIDS among African Americans, achievement gaps in education, careers, and even disparities in life expectancy rates between African Americans and the general population. These reports will debut after the world premiere of Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination.

"Only CNN could and would undertake a project this comprehensive and ambitious," said Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer for CNN Productions. "So many passionate journalists have poured themselves in to this effort, turning up some surprising s to rylines and controversial theories about what’s been happening to black people in this country. The s to ries they will tell will impact all Americans."

"As we developed this series, it was critical to go beyond what viewers believe and already know to introduce them to the real people behind the headlines that we report every day on our assignments," O’Brien said.