By FOX’s Tonya J. Powers

MASON TEMPLE

It’s been 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous Mountaintop Speech at Mason Temple on April 3, 1968.

There are some upgrades, like spotlights and a better sound system, but the light still pours in from the side of the sanctuary in the afternoon.

It’s still a working church, but there’s no mistaking the historic role the building played in our nation’s history. It remains an important destination for those who trace the last steps of Dr. King, and seek to understand the movement for equality and civil rights. 

Sitting in the balcony pew, where I’m writing this, I can close my eyes and listen to his words, which are played on a video loop during the wait for events to start. You feel the rough red material of the cushions and the wooden backs of the seats and wonder how many people have sat in this spot, listening to words by men of faith. I can picture the men and women, sitting in the audience, fan in hand, singing along with the gospel songs.