| Born
January 15th 1929 to Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta
Williams King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became one of
the most influential black leaders of all time.
Remembered frequently for his I HAVE A DREAM speech, Dr.
King is often brought to mind as a result of his calls for
racial justice and integration.
In his lifetime King:
~ Enrolled at Morehouse College at 15, graduating with a
bachelors degree in Sociology
~ Earned a Doctorate degree in systematic theology from
Boston University in 1955
~ Married Coretta Scott King with whom he had four children
~ Criticized openly the Vietnam War
~ Became Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1963
~ Became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in
1964
~ Took part in the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference(SCLC), an organization of black churches and
ministers that aimed to challenge racial segregation.
~ Marched with SCLC to create support for the Voting Rights
Act of 1965
It is now January 2005, almost 37 years since his assassination
and it is once again time for us to remember Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. and what he stood for; as the national holiday
chosen in his honor and celebrated on the third Monday of
this month comes to pass. We celebrate Dr. King because
without his undying determination to end segregation and
see the U.S. an equal nation it is quite unclear where we’d
be today and what the experience of being African American
in America would consist of.
Dr. King, inspired by the actions of Mahatma Gandhi against
the British in India, stood for nonviolent action against
the injustices committed against blacks all over the United
States. Not only did Dr. King seek equality for blacks,
he sought equality for human beings in general. In his fight
for justice and equality Dr. King was arrested, jailed,
and even beaten.
On August 28 1963 Dr. King delivered his I HAVE A DREAM
speech to 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington
D.C. In his speech he said “ I have a dream that one
day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning
of it’s creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident
that all men are created equal”,.... “that my
four children will one day live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content
of their character”, “Free at last! Thank God
almighty, we are free at last.
Free at last....no longer do blacks have to live sitting
at the back of the bus, giving up seats to white passengers,
or attending segregated schools. However, in the U.S. today
one can clearly see that we have not yet reached the day
when one can say Dr. Martin Luther King’s message
is fully acted upon by all. African Americans still haven’t
seen a black president in decades, hear about racial profiling
on television, and on occasion witness unfair treatment
when simply eating out at local restaurants. Muslim Americans
now face unfair treatment only for being of the same religion
as a group of people who attacked America.
In the coming days as we all recollect Dr. Martin Luther
King’s message we can only hope that it stays with
us throughout this on going year and that we continue to
strive for the day when Dr. King’s 4 children and
yours can be judged by the content of their character.
Note:
Martin Luther King Jr. is survived by his wife Coretta and
his four children, Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter
Scott, and Bernice Albertine.
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