By: BHS Features Staff
January 22, 2025
A tribute to a man who paved the way for future generations is necessary for all to read and hear on a regular basis.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born into a family of pastors, thanks to his grandfather, James King. MLK’s father was a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church after James King passed it down, and from 1960 to his death, MLK, Jr. was the co-pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church with his father, Martin Luther King, Sr.
MLK, Jr. attended segregated schools throughout his life and graduated high school at 15-years-old. He then went to Morehouse College to get his Bachelor of Arts Degree. His father and grandfather both graduated from Morehouse College, as well. He decided to go to Crozer Theological Seminary for theological studies. At Crozer, he was elected president of a predominantly white class. After he got his Bachelor of Divinity Degree, he attended Boston University where he was awarded a Doctorate in Theology.
King was always a strong advocate for civil rights for African Americans. He became a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Due to his Christian faith and teachings, MLK led many nonviolent protests and movements in the late 1950s and 1960s. His goal was to achieve equality for all African Americans in the U.S. and to eliminate all violence. He also led many other nonviolent protests against poverty and international conflict. He believed that everyone was born equal in the eyes of God.
In 1955, MLK established the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This movement was to stop using buses because African Americans were forced to sit at the back. After roughly 380 days of boycotting, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional.
In 1964, MLK was the youngest person to win a Nobel prize, at only 35-years-old. His lecture “Letter from Birmingham Jail” won a Nobel Peace Prize, and his “I Have a Dream” speech are a few of his most-favored accomplishments. His many achievements are taught worldwide in schools, and his teachings are often studied by scholars. MLK is the only non-president to have a holiday celebrated nationally to honor and memorialize on the Great Mall of our nation’s capital.
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was unfortunately assassinated. He was shot by James Earl Ray while on the second floor of his hotel room, standing on the balcony.
The third Monday of January is a day to honor all that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished. He fought for the equality and peace of all colored people and is still a big influence today.
“We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or die together as fools,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
{Article is sourced from Nobel Prize, The King Center, Stanford University, and National Archives.}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 