California Lutheran University will pay tribute to civil rights leader and activist Martin Luther King Jr. during a special service at 10 a.m. Wed., Jan. 17 in Samuelson Chapel on the main campus in Thousand Oaks.

King began his career in 1954 as pastor for Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. Within a year, he led nonviolent demonstrations against segregation and racism.

King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated four years later on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tenn., as he prepared for a demonstration against racial injustices toward local workers.