The man who stood beside Martin Luther King Jr. when he was assassinated will speak at 7 tonight in Eisenhower Auditorium to commemorate King's life and accomplishments.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a civil rights proponent, said he was honored to have been invited to Penn State to speak in honor of MLK Day.

Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson said, should be celebrated for his wisdom in the fight against tyranny.

"His leadership connected Mason and Dixon, north and south," Jackson said. "The movement he led fought to afford Americans all those basic rights."

Jackson said he plans to address the unfulfilled dreams of the American people and the broken promises they have lived with since the founding of this country.

Theodore Jackson, co-director of the MLK Day of Service, said Jackson would also speak about the Day of Service's theme, "Wake Up! Realize the Dream," and how that dream may be distorted and preserved.

Jesse Jackson, born in 1941 in Greenville, S. C., earned his theological degree from North Carolina A&T State University. He worked alongside King in his civil rights campaign.

When King was assassinated in 1968, Jesse Jackson was standing beside him on the balcony. Jesse Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988 and received millions of votes.

He later formed the Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition, www.rainbowpush.org. According to its Web site, the organization works to unite "people of diverse ethnic, religious, economic and political backgrounds to make America's promise of 'liberty and justice for all' a reality."

Theodore Jackson said negotiating to bring such a famous speaker was a lengthy but worthwhile process.

Denise Ziobro, MLK Day of Service co-director, said it was great the 10th anniversary of Penn State's MLK Day of Service coincided with Jesse Jackson's visit.

"We started promoting Jesse Jackson was coming, and this year we've seen our largest number of activities," Ziobro said. "We're having a phenomenal turnout so far."

Tickets are required for the speech and are being distributed at the Eisenhower Auditorium box office for free with a student ID.

Collegian staff writer Devon Lash contributed to this article.