Today is a national holiday, but not one I've ever paid much attention to. I love that we get a day off of work and school, but what does today really represent? I respect Martin Luther King, Jr. and all that he stood for, but I want to take a deeper look into the man who stood up for freedom.
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| Martin Luther King, Jr. photo credit |
There is a great write-up on Martin Luther King, Jr. at Nobel Prize. He lived from January 15, 1929 until April 4, 1968. He did much in his lifetime including graduating high school at age 15, getting a doctorate degree from Boston University in 1955, becoming paster of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1954 and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35, the youngest to ever recieve the award. In between all of these successes he had a family and became the leader of a civil rights movement.
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| The King Center Atlanta, GA photo credit |
He met Coretta Scott in Boston. They married and had four children together. Coretta supported her husband and all that he stood for. She founded The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change ("The King Center") in Atlanta, Ga. the year her husband died. The center is meant to be a living memorial that continues to support the causes that King lived and died for. It is now under the leadership of King's son, Martin Luther King, III.
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| "I Have a Dream" photo credit |
On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed Washington with a 17 minute long speech that he would be immortalized by. "I have a dream," King said, "that my four little 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." Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke and the whole world listened.
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| The Stone of Hope Washington, DC photo credit |
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968 while standing on his motel balcony before a protest in Memphis, TN. King was meant to be silenced, but his words rang out and are still remembered by many, especially those who strive for true equality.
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| photo credit |
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