Obama pays tribute to King

While his campaign schedule took him away from Memphis for ceremonies honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama paid tribute today to the slain civil rights leader.

After asking voters in Fort Wayne, Ind., for a moment of silence to mark what he called "a tragic anniversary," Obama said that Americans today should remember that when he was killed, King was in Memphis to stand up for struggling sanitation workers.

In the civil rights movement, where King, "a modern-day Moses," pointed the way for ordinary people, the struggle for racial justice and economic justice were intertwined, Obama said.

"Each was part of a larger struggle for freedom," he said.

The Illinois senator also mentioned today's report that the unemployment rate jumped to 5.1 percent in March and the economy lost jobs for the third straight month to declare that the cause of economic justice is still important. "The dream is out of reach for too many Americans," he said.

Obama also highlighted King's message of unity. "We are our brother's keeper. We are our sister's keeper," Obama said. "Either we go up together, or we go down together."

Hillary Clinton and John McCain are scheduled to speak today at events in Memphis. NBC said that anchor Brian Williams this evening will interview all three presidential candidates about King.