Officials are announcing on Monday that Mason Temple, the church in Memphis where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last speech, will be getting a $1.2 million federal grant to preserve a valuable part of Civil Rights Movement history.
It is a component of a nearly $18 million package that is part of the yearly congressional funding process for projects in Memphis.
Additionally, $3.1 million will be used to restore the historic Clayborn Temple, which served as a staging ground for the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike that brought King to Memphis.
It was severely destroyed by a fire that investigators claim was ignited deliberately in April 2025.
Historic Clayborn Temple, a key piece of Memphis history and a landmark in the Civil Rights Movement, was devastated by a fire overnight. Located across the street from FedExForum, Historic Clayborn Temple offers us a daily reminder of its history and significance in the 1968… pic.twitter.com/lUzCY56jlx
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) April 28, 2025
