Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Like all great leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. embodies the qualities of self-sacrifice and steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds. Today we celebrate his life. Let us look back at some of the most important events in his life. Dr. King was a frontrunner for peace and great social change.

His approach of demonstrating a collective will and open communication, he was able to effect long-lasting change through community inclusion. By successfully connecting student organizations, church groups, and a substantial network of politicians and celebrities, Dr. King was able to illustrate the injustices into a tangible movement. By thoughtful use of the principles of non-violence, to his willingness to engage with President John F. Kennedy, he demonstrated how one can create through open dialogue and learn from those setbacks to further their goals.

Martin Luther King Jr. was willing to put his life on the line to change a nation, and bring to light the injustice occurring in the United States during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Every year on the third Monday in January we celebrate the life of this amazing man, and remember the notable advancements he championed during his life. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned his doctoral degree from Boston University, where he met his beloved wife Coretta Scott.

In 1955, after Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on a bus, Martin Luther King Jr. led his first boycott in Montgomery Alabama. The bus boycott encompassed 382 days of citizens walking to work, which was accompanied with harassment, violence and intimidation for the African- Americans in Montgomery. The bus boycott led to legal action which was a precursor to  desegregation of transportation in Montgomery. After leading his first victory in the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. would go on to become the leader in the non-violent civil rights movement for the United State. He headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which gave him a base of operation for work throughout the south.  MLK was the biggest advocate for non-violent protests in the southern states of the US and he continually encouraged supporters to use non-violent methods during their protests.

On October 19, 1960, MLK and 75 students entered a local department store and requested lunch-counter service but were denied. After being denied they refused to leave the counter in protest, MLK and 36 of the students were arrested for refusing to leave. These charges were eventually dropped but MLK was later arrested in Atlanta for violating his probation on a traffic conviction. The news of his arrest came to the ears of then Presidential candidate, John F. Kennedy. John Kennedy contacted Coretta Scott King and expressed his concern for the harsh treatment of MLK then he used his political pressure to get MLK released. His support for MLK provided a substantial amount of support votes from the civil rights movement, which assisted his victory in the presidential election.

Through Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism and inspirational speeches, he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the United States, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At age 35 in 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a Civil rights Activist. After many years we still recognize and celebrate MLK as one of the most influential leaders in the history of the United States of America, leaving behind an enduring legacy for equal rights.