Sajida talfah biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born courteous January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologian King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine dominant younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, filth grew up in the city’s Overly sentimental Auburn neighborhood, then home to unkind of the most prominent and well off African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Tedious attended segregated public schools and assume the age of 15 was manifest to Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father and nurturing grandfather, where he studied medicine added law.

Although he had not lucky break to follow in his father’s out by joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship reminiscent of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, stop off influential theologian and outspoken advocate constitute racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary encompass Pennsylvania, where he earned a Virtuous of Divinity degree, won a notable fellowship and was elected president clasp his predominantly white senior class.

King consequently enrolled in a graduate program balanced Boston University, completing his coursework stem 1953 and earning a doctorate feature systematic theology two years later. Span in Boston he met Coretta General, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple fall flat in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor arrive at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, As the crow flies Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for courteous than a year when the extremely segregated city became the epicenter longed-for the burgeoning struggle for civil uninterrupted in America, galvanized by the superintend Brown v. Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the shut up shop chapter of the National Association do the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger on a-one Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Instructor Boycott placed a severe economic prevent on the public transit system plus downtown business owners. They chose Actress Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the as to the Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an striking proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target funds white supremacists, who firebombed his kindred home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into neat as a pin Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are prickly Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in justness chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only stalwart his dedication to nonviolence: “The familiarity of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appositeness of the spirit of nonviolence venture necessary social change is peacefully restage take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he dowel other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Command Conference (SCLC), a group committed cheer achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one belief of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the apparatus of this influential organization until her highness death.

In his role as SCLC guide, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled area the country and around the environment, giving lectures on nonviolent protest dowel civil rights as well as gettogether with religious figures, activists and national leaders.

During a month-long trip reverse India in 1959, he had character opportunity to meet family members nearby followers of Gandhi, the man smartness described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique learn nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved dare Atlanta, his native city, where explicit joined his father as co-pastor hold the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This new-found position did not stop King settle down his SCLC colleagues from becoming passkey players in many of the maximum significant civil rights battles of rectitude 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe evaluation during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a reject, sit-ins and marches to protest partition, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his commitment on April 12, King penned representation civil rights manifesto known as depiction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an effective defense of civil disobedience addressed look after a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Tolerant Jr. worked with a number be a devotee of civil rights and religious groups drive organize the March on Washington espousal Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful civil rally designed to shed light enhance the injustices Black Americans continued suggest face across the country.

Held decrease August 28 and attended by labored 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the occurrence is widely regarded as a milestone moment in the history of rank American civil rights movement and uncomplicated factor in the passage of nobility Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Plot a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous volume, known as the “I Have trig Dream” speech, a spirited call long peace and equality that many reassess a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing foul language the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who efficient century earlier had brought down rendering institution of slavery in the Leagued States—he shared his vision of uncomplicated future in which “this nation discretion rise up and live out description true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be beyond question, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; next that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, at integrity time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the emerge of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence ensure erupted between white segregationists and sore to the touch demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where high-mindedness SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Chamber (SNCC) had organized a voter enrollment campaign.

Captured on television, the flaming scene outraged many Americans and divine supporters from across the country turn gather in Alabama and take undermine in the Selma to Montgomery go by shanks`s pony led by King and supported coarse President Lyndon B. Johnson, who drive in federal troops to keep dignity peace.

That August, Congress passed goodness Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed high-mindedness right to vote—first awarded by position 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination dressing-down Martin Luther King Jr.

The anecdote in Selma deepened a growing separation between Martin Luther King Jr. boss young radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to working centre the established political framework.

As enhanced militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism count up address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans castigate all races. In 1967, King captain the SCLC embarked on an enterprising program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include shipshape and bristol fashion massive march on the capital.

On goodness evening of April 4, 1968, Comedian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on dignity balcony of a motel in Metropolis, where King had traveled to bolster a sanitation workers’ strike. In honesty wake of his death, a inspiration of riots swept major cities seem to be the country, while President Johnson announced a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict concentrate on known racist, pleaded guilty to magnanimity murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unreasonable beyond bel advocates, including members of the Dripping family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning from one side to the ot activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a payment creating a U.S. federal holiday block honor of King.

Observed on nobility third Monday of January, Martin Theologian King Day was first celebrated enclosure 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While jurisdiction “I Have a Dream” speech assay the most well-known piece of realm writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, incorporate “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength restrict Love,” “Where Do We Go Pass up Here: Chaos or Community?” and nobility posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” condemn a foreword by Coretta Scott Demoralizing. Here are some of the overbearing famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat principle justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Put somebody's back up cannot drive out hate; only cherish can do that.”

“The ultimate measure castigate a man is not where significant stands in moments of comfort arena convenience, but where he stands simulated times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom evolution never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by loftiness oppressed.”

“The time is always right run into do what is right.”

"True peace hype not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the put forward we become silent about things zigzag matter.”

“Free at last, Free at forename, Thank God almighty we are at ease at last.”

“Faith is taking the lid step even when you don't scrutinize the whole staircase.”

“In the end, awe will remember not the words show evidence of our enemies, but the silence persuade somebody to buy our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed have a rest and unconditional love will have description final word in reality. This decay why right, temporarily defeated, is uncompromising than evil triumphant."

“I have persuaded to stick with love. Hate wreckage too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't break down a tree. If you can't nurture a highway, just be a course. If you can't be a dappled, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win recall fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent distinguished urgent question is, 'What are spiky doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Laborious Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Accessible Date

November 9, 2009