As we all know, Martin Luther King day is on Monday; a day to honor the man who is basically the face of black history. While one day a year cannot possibly compensate for his accomplishments, we try.
Martin Luther King, the civil rights activist, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, the great public speaker,and the husband and father of four. Born on January 15, 1929,he was originally Michael,but changed his name to Martin. In Georgia, he attended a segregated public high school,which he graduated at the young age of fifteen. Graduating from Morehouse College in 1948, he obtained his B.A. At Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, he was elected the president of his senior class and was presented with the B.D.in 1951. He then enrolled at Boston University where he completed his residence and also met his future wife, Coretta Scott.
King became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in
Montgomery, Alabama and soon became the leader of the first nonviolent
demonstration in the United States. It was called the bus boycott and lasted
382 days. Finally, after multiple arrests, and personal abuse accounts, the
Supreme Court declared the segregation on buses unconstitutional in 1956. King
emerged as a victorious leader.
King was made president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
to lead the civil rights movement. He traveled 6 million miles and spoke over
25 hundred times in a period of eleven years. He famously directed the peaceful
march in Washington D.C. of 250,000 people and gave his infamous “I Have A
Dream” speech. He spoke of racial injustice, peaceful protest, and rights. He
soon became a talisman for peace and hope.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35. He was
the youngest person to achieve this honor. Unfortunately, on April 4,1968 he was
assassinated as he stood on his balcony in Tennessee. He will always be remembered. He will always be taught in history books,even years from now.
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