Remembering The Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr.
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Today, people all over the USA will celebrate the life, legacy and dream of Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist clergyman turned civil rights leader, who galvanized the country with his vision that people should be judged by the content of their character not, the color of the skin.
While this may seem like a no-brainer to most of you today, back in the early 1900's, it was a radical idea in a country that was permeated with racial segregation.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929, Dr. King grew up in an environment where blacks and whites led totally disparate lives - they ate at different restaurants, went to different schools and even, had to sit in separate areas when traveling in buses and trains.
The situation was even worse in places like Montgomery, Alabama, where Dr. King moved with his wife Coretta, to serve as pastor of the local church in 1955. The issue finally came to a head in December that year, when a woman named Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back section of a bus that was reserved for African Americans and was sent to jail as a result.
To bring justice to her, Dr. King initiated a movement to boycott all buses. The protest, which caught on throughout the nation, lasted an entire year. Finally, in 1956 the Supreme Court of the United States abolished the transportation segregation law.
However, Dr. King was not done yet - For the next ten years he went around the country encouraging people to fight against all kinds of segregation in a non-violent peaceful manner, by organizing sit-ins, boycotts and leading protest marches. His non-violent, yet effective measures earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Sadly, Dr. King was killed by an assassin, while on a trip to Memphis,Tennessee in 1968, and did not live long enough to see his dream come true.
Today, over 40 years after his death, we still honor this great man and his passion for equality, by celebrating his life on the third Monday of every January.
Thanks to him and his 'radical' ideas America is slowly but surely become a nation where a person is judged on his/her merit not, color of skin. For how else can one explain the election of Mr. Barack Obama to the White House or the appointment of Ursula Burns, the first African-American woman to head a Fortune 500 company like Xerox. Though we still have a long way to go, we are definitely heading in the right direction.
However, resting on our laurels is not enough. We now challenge you to go one step further and seek out your own dream. While it may sound impossible and take some time to achieve, it will come true, if you put your mind to it - Dr. King's sure did, didn't it?
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!
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374 Comments
- Evanabout 13 yearsThat is amazing that he helped the whole country to civil rights. I did not know that Martin Luther King Jr. and his dad changed their names. I can't wait to next year to celebrate his holiday. Martin Luther King Jr. is my hero.
- Cassandraabout 13 yearsI did not know Martin Luther king Jr. Changed his name. I liked the pictures in the video. Also I did not know that Martin Luther king Jr. Graduated high school at age 15. That really young! You usually graduate high school ate age 17-18 unless you get held back.
- Emily about 13 yearsMartin Luther king Jr was a very important man.Without him it might have been the same way it was back then right now.I wonder why someone would kill such a nice man.I wish Martin Luther King Jr was still here today I would really like to meet him.
- Kristina!!!!about 13 yearsi didn't know Rosia Parks was a insporation to Martain Luther King Jr. !This reminds me of when I was dressed up as Rosia Parks in second grade! I think that Martin Luther was a great person. He would be proud to see who is President of the United States today!!
- G@brie!!@about 13 yearsI think Martin Luther King had a great speech. I know he was a good man but some people don't think the same. he was trying to fight for equality but was to see the future what happened.
- P@igeyp00about 13 yearshey there i agree with kayla. She is one smart girl.
- Lauren Bieber about 13 yearsThat is so sad that he died.I did not know Martin Luther King Jr changed his name. I wonder why. I did not know Martin Luther King Jr was married. He is very inspirational that he changed life back then I wonder if Martin Luther King Jr did not do what he did if we will still be living the same today. That will just break my heart. I did not like how people lived back then now i know more facts about Martin Luther King Jr Now next year when it is Martin Luther King Jr day I will be thankful of what I have and know why that Martin Luther King Jr is so special
- D@nnyabout 13 yearsI didn't know that Martin Luther kings name was Michael. Martin was trying to make the world a better place
- P@ige luvs MLKabout 13 yearsMartin Luther King is an amazing person. He is wonderful for what he did. People might have already learned or heard about this story, but it is always fun to hear and learn things again. It is kinda like gaining back your memory. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!!!
- $!err@about 13 yearsI didn't martin luther king jr.'s name at first was michael and his fathers name was something else. It is sad that someone would assassinate the man who stopped the segregation.I always thought Martin was married. I wish Martin didn't die because then I would be happy and not sad."Pooh."
