By: Daylun Armstrong, Valery Warner, and Jaden Majewski
January 20, 2020
On the third Monday of every January, a man who was an outspoken leader who fought for justice in the Civil Rights Movement is celebrated; his name is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, and by 1955, King was leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott (a social protest against segregation on the public transit system).
However, before he was known as a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement, he was a minister at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church.
Due to King’s teachings at the church and his inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi (a respected leader in India who taught non-violent practices), MLK, Jr. made it known that any protest he led would be a non-violent one. During this time, he met Bayard Rustin (African American civil rights and gay rights activist) who became a main organizer of the March on Washington (1963).
There were many protests that were led by King that sparked change during the Civil Rights Movement such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Albany Movement, the Birmingham Campaign, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and Bloody Sunday (the march in Selma, Alabama).
Dr. King’s fight for justice inspired so many, and in 1983, a bill was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan which helped to create Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a federal holiday honoring the legacy of Dr. King.
Sadly, the world had lost a prominent Civil Rights activist when Dr. King was assassinated on March 29, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
The legacy of MLK, Jr. still lives on; through his activism, he inspired a world of change that we see in today’s world.
Other Important Facts: Helped to create the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors.
It is important to fight for change, make a difference, and remember that “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” Martin Luther King, Jr.
For more detailed information of Dr. Kings’ Life, visit https://www.biography.com/activist/martin-luther-king-jr.
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 