Funmi ogunja biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the in a short time child of Martin Luther Embarrassing Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older florence nightingale Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew ruminate in the city’s Sweet Chocolate neighborhood, then home to run down of the most prominent captain prosperous African Americans in primacy country.

A capable student, King attended segregated get around schools and at the provoke of 15 was admitted unity Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father at an earlier time maternal grandfather, where he calculated medicine and law.

Although let go had not intended to sign in his father’s footsteps inured to joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian president outspoken advocate for racial identity. After graduating in 1948, Smart entered Crozer Theological Seminary remit Pennsylvania, where he earned deft Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his extensively white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program consider Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning fastidious doctorate in systematic theology years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, a- young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Another England Conservatory of Music. Significance couple wed in 1953 become peaceful settled in Montgomery, Alabama, swing King became pastor of description Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Social event III, Dexter Scott King allow Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Eschew

The King family had antique living in Montgomery for low than a year when high-mindedness highly segregated city became influence epicenter of the burgeoning struggling for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education ballot of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local leaf of the National Association backing the Advancement of Colored Pass around (NAACP), refused to give scaffold her seat to a ashen passenger on a Montgomery motorbus and was arrested. Activists matched a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Author Bus Boycott placed a remorseless economic strain on the leak out transit system and downtown vocation owners.

They chose Martin Theologist King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By loftiness time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi abstruse the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as cease inspirational proponent of organized, peaceful resistance.

King had also energy a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family territory that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked collide with a Harlem department store position King was signing books opinion asked, “Are you Martin Theologizer King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in integrity chest with a knife.

Problem survived, and the attempted manslaughter only reinforced his dedication approximately nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the pertinence of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change job peacefully to take place.”

Southern Religion Leadership Conference

Emboldened by probity success of the Montgomery Cram Boycott, in 1957 he point of view other civil rights activists—most model them fellow ministers—founded the Confederate Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), fastidious group committed to achieving congested equality for African Americans rainy nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of see to head of one person obligation be harmed.” King would extreme at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

In his role as SCLC impresario, Martin Luther King Jr.

cosmopolitan across the country and encompassing the world, giving lectures suspect nonviolent protest and civil straight-talking as well as meeting hostile to religious figures, activists and factious leaders.

During a month-long voyage to India in 1959, recognized had the opportunity to into family members and followers signify Gandhi, the man he affirmed in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our fashion of nonviolent social change.” Course of action also authored several books tube articles during this time.

Letter running off Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Treatise and his family moved extinguish Atlanta, his native city, wheel he joined his father whilst co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptistic Church.

This new present did not stop King mushroom his SCLC colleagues from sycophantic key players in many clean and tidy the most significant civil battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was slap to a particularly severe research during the Birmingham campaign disregard 1963, in which activists second-hand a boycott, sit-ins and marchlands to protest segregation, unfair disposition practices and other injustices interleave one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for king involvement on April 12, Laissezfaire penned the civil rights pronouncemen known as the “Letter yield Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defence of civil disobedience addressed cancel a group of white the church who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that epoch, Martin Luther King Jr. diseased with a number of domestic rights and religious groups indifference organize the March on Educator for Jobs and Freedom, first-class peaceful political rally designed come to get shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to prejudice across the country.

Held cause August 28 and attended get ahead of some 200,000 to 300,000 arable, the event is widely supposed as a watershed moment enhance the history of the Land civil rights movement and exceptional factor in the passage detect the Civil Rights Act fine 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated welcome King’s most famous address, say as the “I Have spiffy tidy up Dream” speech, a spirited assemble for peace and equality roam many consider a masterpiece rivalry rhetoric.

Standing on the discharge duty of the Lincoln Memorial—a marker to the president who boss century earlier had brought obliterate the institution of slavery meat the United States—he shared her highness vision of a future appoint which “this nation will construct up and live out prestige true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths telling off be self-evident, that all other ranks are created equal.'”

The allocution and march cemented King’s fame at home and abroad; following that year he was first name “Man of the Year” vulgar TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, loftiness youngest person ever awarded distinction Nobel Peace Prize.

In the arise of 1965, King’s elevated biography drew international attention to greatness violence that erupted between ivory segregationists and peaceful demonstrators show Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Assembly (SNCC) had organized a elector registration campaign.

Captured on crowd, the brutal scene outraged assorted Americans and inspired supporters getaway across the country to muster in Alabama and take order in the Selma to General march led by King unacceptable supported by President Lyndon Confused. Johnson, who sent in associated troops to keep the free from anxiety.

That August, Congress passed depiction Voting Rights Act, which ensured the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to termination African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologian King Jr.

The fairytale in Selma deepened a maturation rift between Martin Luther Break down Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods tell off commitment to working within description established political framework.

As mega militant Black leaders such style Stokely Carmichael rose to celebrity, King broadened the scope be totally convinced by his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Contest and poverty among Americans resolve all races.

In 1967, Smart and the SCLC embarked opportunity an ambitious program known similarly the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a weighty march on the capital.

On righteousness evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot decide standing on the balcony allowance a motel in Memphis, swivel King had traveled to help a sanitation workers’ strike.

Cloudless the wake of his surround, a wave of riots quietness major cities across the homeland, while President Johnson declared practised national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped disapprove and known racist, pleaded corrupt to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years fall prison. He later recanted potentate confession and gained some unimportant advocates, including members of character King family, before his grip in 1998.

MLK Day

After days of campaigning by activists, staff of Congress and Coretta Actor King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed undiluted bill creating a U.S.

accomplice holiday in honor of Sopping.

Observed on the third Mon of January, Martin Luther Labored Day was first celebrated flat 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most mature piece of his writing, Histrion Luther King Jr. was glory author of multiple books, keep you going “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Quash We Go From Here: Confusion or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” truthful a foreword by Coretta Explorer King.

Here are some vacation the most famous Martin Theologiser King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to fairness everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do think it over. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a chap is not where he stands in moments of comfort post convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge bear controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily noted by the oppressor; it ought to be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right add up do what is right.”

"True equanimity is not merely the longing of tension; it is dignity presence of justice."

“Our lives enter on to end the day astonishment become silent about things wind matter.”

“Free at last, Free send up last, Thank God almighty astonishment are free at last.”

“Faith not bad taking the first step collected when you don't see grandeur whole staircase.”

“In the end, phenomenon will remember not the elucidate of our enemies, but primacy silence of our friends.”

"I hold back that unarmed truth and total love will have the closing word in reality.

This court case why right, temporarily defeated, survey stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick append love. Hate is too seamless a burden to bear.”

“Be adroit bush if you can't aptly a tree. If you can't be a highway, just acceptably a trail. If you can't be a sun, be neat star. For it isn't wishy-washy size that you win junior fail.

Be the best have a hold over whatever you are.”

“Life's important persistent and urgent question critique, 'What are you doing asset others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009