At 39 years old, civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. had barely begun his journey when he was shot dead by a single .30 bullet on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jan. 15, 2012, would have been King’s 84th birthday. Under different circumstances, he may have lived to see America’s first black president sworn in for a second term.

Joining us to push past the myth of King and discuss the man are two civil rights titans who were in his inner circle, both professionally and personally, until his death:

Rev. Jesse Jackson was a top aide to King, and was with him at the Lorraine Motel when he was shot. He now leads the Rainbow PUSH Coalition based in Chicago.

Otis Moss Jr., a Baptist pastor who was a close friend to King, serving on the board of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He also served as co-pastor with Martin Luther King Sr., King’s father, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.