Original name: Michael King, Jr.
Awards And Honors: Grammy Award (1970) Nobel Prize (1964)
Notable Works: “I Have a Dream”
Notable Family Members: Spouse: Coretta Scott King, Children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice King
Martin Luther King Jr (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968), was a Baptist Minister and social activist who had a massive impact on the civil rights movement of the 1950s in the United States. He was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. Had He lived, King would be turning 95 years old.
His leadership was fundamental to that movement’s success in ending the legal segregation of African Americans in the South and other parts of the United States. King rose to national prominence as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which promoted nonviolent tactics, such as the massive March on Washington (1963), to achieve civil rights. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Every third Monday of January, the United States observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday to honor the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year Martin Luther Day for 2024 falls on Monday, January 15th, which is the actual birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1983, President Ronald Regan signed the Day into law, and three years later it was first observed.
Congress passed a bill to dedicate the national holiday as a National Day of Service in 1994. The King Holiday and Service Act was introduced by Congressman John Lewis and Senator Harris Wofford. Both men worked alongside Dr. King in civil rights activism.
Popular Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes
“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” From Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? 1967
"Cries of Black power and riots are not the cause of white resistance, they are consequences of it.” From Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? 1967
"We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. "Washington National Cathedral, March 31, 1968.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. "From Strength to Love, 1963
"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. "Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, Norway, 1964.
"Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in." from March for Integrated Schools, April 18, 1959.
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