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This week, we celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964 and was instrumental in the passage of the civil rights act that same year.

Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968 but he has not been forgotten. As we honor his legacy, this week on PIX11 News Closeup we take a closer look at the politics and social climate of the day and learn why he was criticized by many of his contemporaries.

We hear from historical scholars Alan Singer of Hofstra University and Professor Wallace Ford of Medgar Evers College.