Happy Martin Luther King Junior Day!
January 20th, 2020, is a federal holiday to celebrate and honor Martin Luther King Junior. Although his birthday is January 15th, MLK Day is always observed on the third Monday of January. President Ronald Reagan signed a bill in 1983 to officiate the day, while it was initially presented to Congress in 1960. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated three years later in 1986 and we still continue to commemorate him today.
Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and received a quality education. He faced racism as a child which led him to advocate for equality for his whole life. At the young age of 15, Dr. King attended Morehouse College and graduated with a bachelor in sociology. He went on to Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania to obtain a bachelor in Divinity and then a PhD in theology from Boston University. He married Coretta Scott, had 4 children and was a minister at a local church in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks was arrested because she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, which began the Montgomery Bus Boycott. King lead the Montgomery Improvement Association in attempts to desegregate the transit system. He supported sit-ins, protests and gave speeches to promote equality and speak out against racism. The “I Have a Dream” speech is most well known from the Washington March on August 28th, 1963. This lead to the Civil Rights Act being established a year later, which made discrimination officially illegal. He won a Nobel Peace Prize due to his activism in the Civil Rights Movement. King organized 1,500 people for the Selma March in 1965 which was met with extreme violence from authorities. The Voting Rights Act was established after this event caught the nation’s attention. He was assassinated on April 4th, 1968.
Quotes:
“Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” – the March on Washington
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
“The time is always right to do what’s right.”
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Martin Luther King Jr. played an important role in desegregation, equality and the Civil Rights Movement. Known for his peaceful protests, inspiring speeches and preachings, Dr. King’s legacy will live on forever.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr/
http://drmartinlutherking.net/
