"Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. King is often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism.
A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.
In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War."
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. Courtesy of Wikipedia
2 comments:
Hi Elaine,
How well I do remember MLK's speech and how happy I am to see in my lifetime that real progress toward that color-blind society has been made. It inspires me to think, though I am discouraged by the petty considerations that keep people separate as we have seen in our government, between corporate America and the working man, and among extremists of differing religious views,that when enough people are like-minded for the good of all, we can heal and live better lives.
Thanks Judi for dropping by and leaving a comment. some progress has been made but as you can see not enough. As a social society, meaning the whole world, we still have a difficult time accepting and respecting others of different opinions.
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