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Martin Luther King, Jr.

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No figure is more closely identified with the mid-20th century struggle for civil rights than Martin Luther King, Jr. His adoption of nonviolent resistance to achieve equal rights for Black Americans earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. King is remembered for his masterful oratorical skills, most memorably in his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Early Life and Education

Born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, King was heavily influenced by his father, a church pastor, who King saw stand up to segregation in his daily life. In 1936, King's father also led a march of several hundred African Americans to Atlanta's city hall to protest voting rights discrimination.

As a member of his high school debate team, King developed a reputation for his powerful public speaking skills, enhanced by his deep baritone voice and extensive vocabulary. King left high school at the age of 15 to enter Atlanta's Morehouse College, an all-male historically Black university attended by both his father and maternal grandfather.

After graduating in 1948 with a bachelor's degree in sociology, King decided to follow in his father's footsteps and enrolled in a seminary in Pennsylvania before pursuing a doctorate in theology at Boston University. While studying for King served as an assistant minister at Boston's Twelfth Baptist Church, which was renowned for its abolitionist origins. In Boston, he met and married Coretta Scott, a student at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Joining the Civil Rights Movement

After finishing his doctorate, King returned to the South at the age of 25, becoming pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Shortly after King took up residence in the town, Rosa Parks made history when she refused to give up her seat for a white passenger on a Montgomery bus.

Starting in 1955, Montgomery's Black community staged an extremely successful bus boycott that lasted for over a year. King, played a pivotal leadership role in organizing the protest. His arrest and imprisonment as the boycott's leader propelled King onto the national stage as a lead figure in the civil rights movement.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.… We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." — Martin Luther King, Jr.

With other Black church leaders in the South, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to mount nonviolent protests against racist Jim Crow laws. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's model of nonviolent resistance, King believed that peaceful protest for civil rights would lead to sympathetic media coverage and public opinion. His instincts proved correct when civil rights activists were subjected to violent attacks by white officials in widely televised episodes that drew nationwide outrage. With King at its helm, the civil rights movement ultimately achieved victories with the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

Nonviolent protest gains traction

In 1959, King returned to Atlanta to serve as co-pastor with his father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. His involvement in a sit-in at a department 1960 presidential election between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Pressure from Kennedy led to King's release.

Working closely with NAACP, King and the SCLC turned their sights on Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, organizing sit-ins in public spaces. Again, the protests drew nationwide attention when televised footage showed Birmingham police deploying pressurized water jets and police dogs against peaceful demonstrators. The campaign was ultimately successful, forcing the infamous Birmingham police chief Bull Connor to resign and the city to desegregate public spaces.

"There is nothing greater in all the world than freedom. It's worth going to jail for. It's worth losing a job for. It's worth dying for. My friends, go out this evening determined to achieve this freedom which God wants for all of His children." — Martin Luther King, Jr.

During the campaign, King was once again sent to prison, where he composed his legendary "Letter from Birmingham Jail," in response to a call from white sympathizers to address civil rights through legal means rather than protest. King passionately disagreed, saying the unjust situation necessitated urgent action. He wrote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.… We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."

History-making marches

In 1963, King and the SCLC worked with NAACP and other civil rights groups to organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which attracted 250,000 people to rally for the civil and economic rights of Black Americans in the nation's capital. There, King delivered his majestic 17-minute "I Have a Dream" speech.

Along with other civil rights activists, King participated in the Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965. The brutal attacks on activists by the police during the march were televised into the homes of Americans across the country. When the march concluded in Montgomery, King gave his "How Long, Not Long" speech, in which he predicted that equal rights for African Americans would be imminently granted. His legendary words are widely quoted today: "How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Less than six months later, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act banning disenfranchisement of Black Americans.

Death and legacy

Over the next few years, King broadened his focus and began speaking out against the Vietnam War and economic issues, calling for a bill of rights for all Americans.

In the spring of 1968, King visited Memphis, Tennessee, to support Black sanitary workers who were on strike. On April 4, King was assassinated by James Earl Ray in his Memphis hotel. President Johnson called for a national day of mourning on April 7. In 1983, Congress cemented King's legacy as an American icon by declaring the third Monday of every January Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." — Martin Luther King, Jr.

King was honored with dozens of awards and honorary degrees for his achievement throughout his life and posthumously. In addition to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, King was awarded the NAACP Medal in 1957 and the American Liberties Medallion by the American Jewish Committee in 1965. After his death, King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1994 with his wife, Coretta.

King's legacy has inspired activists fighting injustice anywhere in the world. NAACP has carried on King's work on behalf of Black Americans and strives to keep his dream alive for future generations. We take inspiration from his closing remarks at the NAACP Emancipation Day Rally in 1957: "I close by saying there is nothing greater in all the world than freedom. It's worth going to jail for. It's worth losing a job for. It's worth dying for. My friends, go out this evening determined to achieve this freedom which God wants for all of His children."

March on Washington, August 28, 1963

"In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men – yes, black men as well as white men – would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.… America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.'"

-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Biography of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Leader

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The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929–April 4, 1968) was the charismatic leader of the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. He directed the year-long Montgomery bus boycott , which attracted scrutiny by a wary, divided nation, but his leadership and the resulting Supreme Court ruling against bus segregation brought him fame. He formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to coordinate nonviolent protests and delivered over 2,500 speeches addressing racial injustice, but his life was cut short by an assassin in 1968.

Fast Facts: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Known For : Leader of the U.S. civil rights movement
• Also Known As : Michael Lewis King Jr.
• Born : Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia
• Parents : Michael King Sr., Alberta Williams
• Died : April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee
• Education : Crozer Theological Seminary, Boston University
• Published Works : Stride Toward Freedom, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?
• Awards and Honors : Nobel Peace Prize
• Spouse : Coretta Scott
• Children : Yolanda, Martin, Dexter, Bernice
• Notable Quote : "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Michael King Sr., pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Alberta Williams, a Spelman College graduate and former schoolteacher. King lived with his parents, a sister, and a brother in the Victorian home of his maternal grandparents.

Martin—named Michael Lewis until he was 5—thrived in a middle-class family, going to school, playing football and baseball, delivering newspapers, and doing odd jobs. Their father was involved in the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and had led a successful campaign for equal wages for White and Black Atlanta teachers. When Martin's grandfather died in 1931, Martin's father became pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, serving for 44 years.

After attending the World Baptist Alliance in Berlin in 1934, King Sr. changed his and his son's name from Michael King to Martin Luther King, after the Protestant reformist. King Sr. was inspired by Martin Luther's courage of confronting institutionalized evil.

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King entered Morehouse College at 15. King's wavering attitude toward his future career in the clergy led him to engage in activities typically not condoned by the church. He played pool, drank beer, and received his lowest academic marks in his first two years at Morehouse.

King studied sociology and considered law school while reading voraciously. He was fascinated by Henry David Thoreau 's essay " On Civil Disobedience" and its idea of noncooperation with an unjust system. King decided that social activism was his calling and religion the best means to that end. He was ordained as a minister in February 1948, the year he graduated with a sociology degree at age 19.

In September 1948, King entered the predominately White Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, Pennsylvania. He read works by great theologians but despaired that no philosophy was complete within itself. Then, hearing a lecture about Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi , he became captivated by his concept of nonviolent resistance. King concluded that the Christian doctrine of love, operating through nonviolence, could be a powerful weapon for his people.

In 1951, King graduated at the top of his class with a Bachelor of Divinity degree. In September of that year, he enrolled in doctoral studies at Boston University's School of Theology.

While in Boston, King met Coretta Scott , a singer studying voice at the New England Conservatory of Music. While King knew early on that she had all the qualities he desired in a wife, initially, Coretta was hesitant about dating a minister. The couple married on June 18, 1953. King's father performed the ceremony at Coretta's family home in Marion, Alabama. They returned to Boston to complete their degrees.

King was invited to preach in Montgomery, Alabama, at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, which had a history of civil rights activism. The pastor was retiring. King captivated the congregation and became the pastor in April 1954. Coretta, meanwhile, was committed to her husband's work but was conflicted about her role. King wanted her to stay home with their four children: Yolanda, Martin, Dexter, and Bernice. Explaining her feelings on the issue, Coretta told Jeanne Theoharis in a 2018 article in The Guardian , a British newspaper:

“I once told Martin that although I loved being his wife and a mother, if that was all I did I would have gone crazy. I felt a calling on my life from an early age. I knew I had something to contribute to the world.”

And to a degree, King seemed to agree with his wife, saying he fully considered her a partner in the struggle for civil rights as well as on all other issues with which he was involved. Indeed, in his autobiography, he stated:

"I didn't want a wife I couldn't communicate with. I had to have a wife who would be as dedicated as I was. I wish I could say that I led her down this path, but I must say we went down it together because she was as actively involved and concerned when we met as she is now."

Yet, Coretta felt strongly that her role, and the role of women in general in the civil rights movement, had long been "marginalized" and overlooked, according to The Guardian . As early as 1966, Corretta wrote in an article published in the British women's magazine New Lady:

“Not enough attention has been focused on the roles played by women in the struggle….Women have been the backbone of the whole civil rights movement.…Women have been the ones who have made it possible for the movement to be a mass movement.”

Historians and observers have noted that King did not support gender equality in the civil rights movement. In an article in The Chicago Reporter , a monthly publication that covers race and poverty issues, Jeff Kelly Lowenstein wrote that women "played a limited role in the SCLC." Lowenstein further explained:

"Here the experience of legendary organizer Ella Baker is instructive. Baker struggled to have her voice heard...by leaders of the male-dominated organization. This disagreement prompted Baker, who played a key role in the formation of the  Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , to counsel young members like John Lewis to retain their independence from the older group. Historian Barbara Ransby wrote in her 2003 biography of Baker that the SCLC ministers were 'not ready to welcome her into the organization on an equal footing' because to do so 'would be too far afield from the gender relations they were used to in the church.'"

Montgomery Bus Boycott

When King arrived in Montgomery to join the Dexter Avenue church, Rosa Parks , secretary of the local NAACP chapter, had been arrested for refusing to relinquish her bus seat to a White man. Parks' December 1, 1955, arrest presented the perfect opportunity to make a case for desegregating the transit system.

E.D. Nixon, former head of the local NAACP chapter, and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, a close friend of King, contacted King and other clergymen to plan a citywide bus boycott. The group drafted demands and stipulated that no Black person would ride the buses on December 5.

That day, nearly 20,000 Black citizens refused bus rides. Because Black people comprised 90% of the passengers, most buses were empty. When the boycott ended 381 days later, Montgomery's transit system was nearly bankrupt. Additionally, on November 23, in the case of Gayle v. Browder , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "Racially segregated transportation systems enforced by the government violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment," according to Oyez, an online archive of U.S. Supreme Court cases operated by the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law. The court also cited the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka , where it had ruled in 1954 that "segregation of public education based solely on race (violates) the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment," according to Oyez. On December 20, 1956, the Montgomery Improvement Association voted to end the boycott.

Buoyed by success, the movement's leaders met in January 1957 in Atlanta and formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to coordinate nonviolent protests through Black churches. King was elected president and held the post until his death.

Principles of Nonviolence

In early 1958, King's first book, "Stride Toward Freedom," which detailed the Montgomery bus boycott, was published. While signing books in Harlem, New York, King was stabbed by a Black woman with a mental health condition. As he recovered, he visited India's Gandhi Peace Foundation in February 1959 to refine his protest strategies. In the book, greatly influenced by Gandhi's movement and teachings, he laid six principles, explaining that nonviolence:

Is not a method for cowards; it does resist : King noted that "Gandhi often said that if cowardice is the only alternative to violence, it is better to fight." Nonviolence is the method of a strong person; it is not "stagnant passivity."

Does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding : Even in conducting a boycott, for example, the purpose is "to awaken a sense of moral shame in the opponent" and the goal is one of "redemption and reconciliation," King said.

Is directed against forces of evil rather than against persons who happen to be doing the evil: "It is evil that the nonviolent resister seeks to defeat, not the persons victimized by evil," King wrote. The fight is not one of Black people versus White people, but to achieve "but a victory for justice and the forces of light," King wrote.

Is a willingness to accept suffering without retaliation, to accept blows from the opponent without striking back: Again citing Gandhi, King wrote: "The nonviolent resister is willing to accept violence if necessary, but never to inflict it. He does not seek to dodge jail. If going to jail is necessary, he enters it 'as a bridegroom enters the bride’s chamber.'"

Avoids not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit: Saying that you win through love not hate, King wrote: "The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent, but he also refuses to hate him."

Is based on the conviction that   the universe is on the side of justice: The nonviolent person "can accept suffering without retaliation" because the resister knows that "love" and "justice" will win in the end.

Buyenlarge / Contributor / Getty Images

In April 1963, King and the SCLC joined Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights in a nonviolent campaign to end segregation and force Birmingham, Alabama, businesses to hire Black people. Fire hoses and vicious dogs were unleashed on the protesters by “Bull” Connor's police officers. King was thrown into jail. King spent eight days in the Birmingham jail as a result of this arrest but used the time to write "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," affirming his peaceful philosophy.

The brutal images galvanized the nation. Money poured in to support the protesters; White allies joined demonstrations. By summer, thousands of public facilities nationwide were integrated, and companies began to hire Black people. The resulting political climate pushed the passage of civil rights legislation. On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy drafted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , which was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson after Kennedy's assassination. The law prohibited racial discrimination in public, ensured the "constitutional right to vote," and outlawed discrimination in places of employment.

March on Washington

CNP / Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Then came the March on Washington, D.C .,  on August 28, 1963. Nearly 250,000 Americans listened to speeches by civil rights activists, but most had come for King. The Kennedy administration, fearing violence, edited a speech by John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and invited White organizations to participate, causing some Black people to denigrate the event. Malcolm X labeled it the “farce in Washington."

Crowds far exceeded expectations. Speaker after speaker addressed them. The heat grew oppressive, but then King stood up. His speech started slowly, but King stopped reading from notes, either by inspiration or gospel singer Mahalia Jackson shouting, “Tell 'em about the dream, Martin!”

He had had a dream, he declared, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” It was the most memorable speech of his life.

Nobel Prize

King, now known worldwide, was designated Time magazine's “Man of the Year” in 1963. He won the Nobel Peace Prize the following year and donated the $54,123 in winnings to advancing civil rights.

Not everyone was thrilled by King's success. Since the bus boycott, King had been under scrutiny by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoping to prove King was under communist influence, Hoover filed a request with Attorney General Robert Kennedy to put him under surveillance, including break-ins at homes and offices and wiretaps. However, despite "various kinds of FBI surveillance," the FBI found "no evidence of Communist influence," according to The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University.

In the summer of 1964, King's nonviolent concept was challenged by deadly riots in the North. King believed their origins were segregation and poverty and shifted his focus to poverty, but he couldn't garner support. He organized a campaign against poverty in 1966 and moved his family into one of Chicago's Black neighborhoods, but he found that strategies successful in the South didn't work in Chicago. His efforts were met with "institutional resistance, skepticism from other activists and open violence," according to Matt Pearce in an article in the Los Angeles Times , published in January 2016, the 50th anniversary of King's efforts in the city. Even as he arrived in Chicago, King was met by "a line of police and a mob of angry white people," according to Pearce's article. King even commented on the scene:

“I have never seen, even in Mississippi and Alabama, mobs as hateful as I’ve seen here in Chicago. Yes, it’s definitely a closed society. We’re going to make it an open society.”

Despite the resistance, King and the SCLC worked to fight "slumlords, realtors and Mayor Richard J. Daley’s Democratic machine," according to the Times . But it was an uphill effort. "The civil rights movement had started to splinter. There were more militant activists who disagreed with King’s nonviolent tactics, even booing King at one meeting," Pearce wrote. Black people in the North (and elsewhere) turned from King's peaceful course to the concepts of Malcolm X.

King refused to yield, addressing what he considered the harmful philosophy of Black Power in his last book, "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?" King sought to clarify the link between poverty and discrimination and to address America's increased involvement in Vietnam, which he considered unjustifiable and discriminatory toward those whose incomes were below the poverty level as well as Black people.

King's last major effort, the Poor People's Campaign, was organized with other civil rights groups to bring impoverished people to live in tent camps on the National Mall starting April 29, 1968.

Earlier that spring, King had gone to Memphis, Tennessee, to join a march supporting a strike by Black sanitation workers. After the march began, riots broke out; 60 people were injured and one person was killed, ending the march.

On April 3, King gave what became his last speech. He wanted a long life, he said, and had been warned of danger in Memphis but said death didn't matter because he'd "been to the mountaintop" and seen "the promised land."

On April 4, 1968, King stepped onto the balcony of Memphis' Lorraine Motel. A rifle bullet tore into his face . He died at St. Joseph's Hospital less than an hour later. King's death brought widespread grief to a violence-weary nation. Riots exploded across the country.

Win McNamee / Getty Images

King's body was brought home to Atlanta to lie at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he had co-pastored with his father for many years. At King's April 9, 1968, funeral, great words honored the slain leader, but the most apropos eulogy was delivered by King himself, via a recording of his last sermon at Ebenezer:

"If any of you are around when I meet my day, I don't want a long funeral...I'd like someone to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others...And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity."

King had achieved much in the short span of 11 years. With accumulated travel topping 6 million miles, King could have gone to the moon and back 13 times. Instead, he traveled the world, making over 2,500 speeches, writing five books, and leading eight major nonviolent efforts for social change. King was arrested and jailed 29 times during his civil rights work, mainly in cities throughout the South, according to the website Face2Face Africa.  

King's legacy today lives through the Black Lives Matter movement, which is physically nonviolent but lacks Dr. King's principle on "the internal violence of the spirit" that says one should love, not hate, their oppressor. Dara T. Mathis wrote in an April 3, 2018, article in The Atlantic, that King's legacy of "militant nonviolence lives on in the pockets of mass protests" of the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the country. But Mathis added:

"Conspicuously absent from the language modern activists use, however, is an appeal to America’s innate goodness, a call to fulfill the promise set forth by its Founding Fathers."

And Mathis further noted:

"Although Black Lives Matter practices nonviolence as a matter of strategy, love for the oppressor does not find its way into their ethos."

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan created a national holiday to celebrate the man who did so much for the United States. Reagan summed up King's legacy with these words that he gave during a speech dedicating the holiday to the fallen civil rights leader:

"So, each year on Martin Luther King Day, let us not only recall Dr. King, but rededicate ourselves to the Commandments he believed in and sought to live every day: Thou shall love thy God with all thy heart, and thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. And I just have to believe that all of us—if all of us, young and old, Republicans and Democrats, do all we can to live up to those Commandments, then we will see the day when Dr. King's dream comes true, and in his words, 'All of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning,...land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'"

Coretta Scott King, who had fought hard to see the holiday established and was at the White House ceremony that day, perhaps summed up King's legacy most eloquently, sounding wistful and hopeful that her husband's legacy would continue to be embraced:

"He loved unconditionally. He was in constant pursuit of truth, and when he discovered it, he embraced it. His nonviolent campaigns brought about redemption, reconciliation, and justice. He taught us that only peaceful means can bring about peaceful ends, that our goal was to create the love community.

"America is a more democratic nation, a more just nation, a more peaceful nation because Martin Luther King, Jr., became her preeminent nonviolent commander."

Additional References

• Abernathy, Ralph David. "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: An Autobiography." Paperback, Unabridged edition, Chicago Review Press, April 1, 2010.
• Branch, Taylor. "Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63." America in the King Years, Reprint edition, Simon & Schuster, November 15, 1989.
• Brown v. Board of Education Topeka . oyez.org.
• “ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) .”  The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute , 21 May 2018.
• Gayle v. Browder . oyez.org.
• Garrow, David. "Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference." Paperback, Reprint edition, William Morrow Paperbacks, January 6, 2004.
• Hansen, Drew. " Mahalia Jackson and King's Improvisation . ” The New York Times, Aug. 27, 2013.
• Lowenstein, Jeff Kelly. “ Martin Luther King Jr., Women, and the Possibility of Growth .”  Chicago Reporter , 21 Jan. 2019.
• McGrew, Jannell. “ The Montgomery Bus Boycott: They Changed the World .
• “Principles of Nonviolent Resistance By Martin Luther King Jr.”  Resource Center for Nonviolence , 8 Aug. 2018.
• “ Remarks on Signing the Bill Making the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., a National Holiday .”  Ronald Reagan , reaganlibrary.gov/archive.
• Theoharis, Jeanne. “' I Am Not a Symbol, I Am an Activist': the Untold Story of Coretta Scott King .”  The Guardian , Guardian News and Media, 3 Feb. 2018.
• X, Malcolm. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley." Alex Haley, Attallah Shabazz, Paperback, Reissue edition, Ballantine Books, November 1992.

Michael Eli Dokos. “ Ever Knew Martin Luther King Jr. Was Arrested 29 Times for His Civil Rights Work? ”  Face2Face Africa , 23 Feb. 2020.

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Martin Luther King Jr.: The iconic civil rights leader

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader who fought for racial and economic justice. His oft-quoted "I Have a Dream" speech made an incredible impact on the country's racial, cultural and intellectual landscape.

• Ministry and civil rights leadership
• 'Letter from Birmingham City Jail'

March on Washington and 'I Have a Dream' speech

• Nobel Peace Prize
• Later work and assassination
• Legacy and memorial

Additional resources

Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor, humanitarian and leader in the American civil rights movement of the 1960s. In numerous speeches, marches and letters, he fought for racial and economic justice and was lauded for his nonviolent approach to civil disobedience. Assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39, King made an incredible impact on the country's racial, cultural and intellectual landscape.

Martin Luther King's early life

King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, to the Rev. Michael King and Alberta Williams King in Atlanta, Georgia. His birth name was Michael King Jr. The King family had deep roots in the Atlanta Black community and the African-American Baptist Church. Both his grandfather and father served in succession at Ebenezer Baptist Church (down the street from King's childhood home), and established it as a major congregation in Baptist circles. They were also both leaders in the Atlanta branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Michael King Sr. changed his name and his son's name to Martin Luther in 1934 to honor the 16th-century German religious reformer.

King attended segregated schools and graduated from high school at age 15, and in 1948 he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1948. He then went on to earn a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and a doctorate in Philosophy of Systematic Theology from Boston University. While in Boston, King met music student Coretta Scott. The two eventually married and had two daughters and two sons.

King contemplated an academic career but ultimately followed his father and grandfather to the pulpit. In 1954, he accepted the position of pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

Martin Luther King's ministry and civil rights leadership

In Montgomery, King stepped up as a prominent leader in the civil rights movement. 

In 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man and was arrested, local leaders formed an organization to protest Parks' arrest and chose King to head the group. In this role, he became the primary spokesperson for what would become the 382-day Montgomery Bus Boycott. During the boycott, King was abused and arrested, and his house was bombed, but he remained a stalwart and committed leader.

Related: 7 reasons America still needs civil rights movements

King's activism, leadership and ministry drew heavily on his Christian principles as well as the nonviolent teachings of Mahatma Gandhi . King skillfully drew upon a wide range of theological and philosophical influences to mobilize Black churches and communities and to appeal for white support. He turned from an untouchable view of God to a more supportive, reassuring concept, describing God as "a living reality that has been validated in the experiences of everyday life."

After the Supreme Court outlawed bus segregation, King helped expand the civil rights movement throughout the South. He was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and moved back to Atlanta to be closer to the organization’s headquarters and to become co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. He also traveled and spoke widely, spreading the message of nonviolent protest; wrote five books; organized voting drives; led peaceful protests and marches; and was arrested more than 20 times.

Related: 13 significant protests that changed the course of history

Martin Luther King's 'Letter from Birmingham City Jail'

In 1963, King led a nonviolent protest in highly segregated Birmingham, Alabama. The campaign was met with brutality from the police, who attacked demonstrators with dogs and hoses. King was arrested and, in a cell, drafted his famous " Letter from Birmingham City Jail ," which became a manifesto for civil rights and civil disobedience. The letter combined ideas from the Bible, the Constitution and other respected texts.

Related: How to actually stop police brutality, according to science

On Aug. 28, 1963, about 250,000 people marched in Washington, D.C., in the largest demonstration of its kind in the city. At the Lincoln Memorial, King delivered the inspirational and oft-quoted " I Have a Dream " speech. The speech's most famous phrases include:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Related: A dream deferred: America's changing view of civil rights

The speech inspired the nation and solidified King's status as a national civil rights leader. After the march, King and other leaders met with President John F. Kennedy to discuss equal rights and an end to segregation.

Two days after the speech, the FBI wrote a memo detailing their suspicions that King was a communist. While FBI surveillance failed to find communist ties, the agency did find evidence that King was having extramarital affairs. FBI Domestic Intelligence Chief William Sullivan decided to use this information against King, and wrote an anonymous letter to him in 1964 urging King to kill himself, Yale historian Beverly Gage reported in The New York Times in 2014, after she found an unredacted version of the letter.

"There is only one thing left for you to do. You know what it is," the letter said.

However, King suspected that the letter came from the FBI, as it was no secret that its director, J. Edgar Hoover, wanted to discredit King. 

Martin Luther King's Nobel Peace Prize

Following the March on Washington, Time magazine named King its "Man of the Year." The next year, in 1964 at the age of 35, King became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize . He donated the winnings to the civil rights movement. King received hundreds of other awards and several honorary degrees.

Martin Luther King's later work and assassination

In addition to his work on racial issues, King became an activist for economic justice and a critic of the Vietnam War. He formed an organization called the Poor People's Campaign, which was unpopular among some Black activists who wanted to take more radical approaches to social change, such as those advocated by the Black Power campaigns.

Related: What was the Black Panther Party?  

On April 3, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn., King delivered a poignant speech, intoning, "I've been to the mountaintop [and] I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land."

The next day, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, King was assassinated. White supremacist James Earl Ray was convicted of the crime, though the identity of King's murderer was the subject of some controversy.

Martin Luther King's legacy and memorial

King had a profound impact on the United States. The March on Washington was influential in the passing of the landmark Civil Rights Act, which essentially made segregation illegal. The Voting Rights Act was passed as the result of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March.

In 1968, Coretta Scott King founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. She also led the effort to make King’s birthday a national holiday, first celebrated in 1986.

Related: The environmental movement's debt to Martin Luther King Jr. (Op-Ed)

On Aug. 28, 2011 — the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington — a memorial to King was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial consists of a 30-foot-tall (9 meters) statue of King carved into the "Stone of Hope" breaking through two boulders representing the "Mountain of Despair."

• The King Center
• National Park Service: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
• Library of Congress: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• MLK Day.gov

This article was originally published on Jan. 16, 2014. It was updated on Jan. 15, 2021 by Live Science reference editor Kimberly Hickok and on Jan. 13, 2023 by Live Science editor Laura Geggel.  

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

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Jessie Szalay is a contributing writer to FSR Magazine. Prior to writing for Live Science, she was an editor at Living Social. She holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from George Mason University and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Kenyon College. 

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes: Remembering the civil rights leader with his own words

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

NEW YORK -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Now, more than half a century after his death, we take a look back at inspiring quotes from the civil rights leader in honor of his legacy.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." (Letter from Birmingham City Jail)

"We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right." (Letter from Birmingham City Jail)

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ( 1963 book Strength to Love )

"Oh, there will be a day, the question won't be, 'How many awards did you get in life?' Not that day ... The question that day will not be, 'What kind of automobile did you have?' On that day the question will be, 'What did you do for others?'" ( "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life" sermon )

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." ( Where Do We Go From Here, 1967 )

"If a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live." (Preview of the "Dream" at Detroit March)

"As long as there is poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich even if he has a billion dollars." ("The American Dream")

"Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts." ( Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech )

"Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart..." ("The Drum Major Instinct," Ebenezer Baptist Church)

"Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of dedicated individuals..." ( Oberlin College Commencement )

"If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving." ( "Keep Moving from this Mountain" address )

ABC News contributed to this report.

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This Day In History : April 4

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated

Just after 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is fatally shot while standing on the balcony outside his second-story room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The civil rights leader was in Memphis to support a sanitation workers’ strike and was on his way to dinner when a bullet struck him in the jaw and severed his spinal cord. King was pronounced dead after his arrival at a Memphis hospital. He was 39 years old.

In the months before his assassination , Martin Luther King became increasingly concerned with the problem of economic inequality in America. He organized a Poor People’s Campaign to focus on the issue, including a march on Washington , and in March 1968 traveled to Memphis in support of poorly treated African-American sanitation workers. On March 28, a workers’ protest march led by King ended in violence and the death of an African American teenager. King left the city but vowed to return in early April to lead another demonstration.

On April 3, back in Memphis, King gave his last sermon, saying, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop … And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

One day after speaking those words, Dr. King was shot and killed by a sniper. As word of the assassination spread, riots broke out in cities all across the United States and National Guard troops were deployed in Memphis and Washington, D.C. On April 9, King was laid to rest in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to pay tribute to King’s casket as it passed by in a wooden farm cart drawn by two mules.

The evening of King’s murder, a Remington .30-06 hunting rifle was found on the sidewalk beside a rooming house one block from the Lorraine Motel. During the next several weeks, the rifle, eyewitness reports, and fingerprints on the weapon all implicated a single suspect: escaped convict James Earl Ray. A two-bit criminal, Ray escaped a Missouri prison in April 1967 while serving a sentence for a holdup. In May 1968, a massive manhunt for Ray began. The FBI eventually determined that he had obtained a Canadian passport under a false identity, which at the time was relatively easy.

On June 8, Scotland Yard investigators arrested Ray at a London airport. He was trying to fly to Belgium, with the eventual goal, he later admitted, of reaching Rhodesia. Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe, was at the time ruled by an oppressive and internationally condemned white minority government. Extradited to the United States, Ray stood before a Memphis judge in March 1969 and pleaded guilty to King’s murder in order to avoid the electric chair. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Three days later, he attempted to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming he was innocent of King’s assassination and had been set up as a patsy in a larger conspiracy. He claimed that in 1967, a mysterious man named “Raoul” had approached him and recruited him into a gunrunning enterprise. On April 4, 1968, he said, he realized that he was to be the fall guy for the King assassination and fled to Canada. Ray’s motion was denied, as were his dozens of other requests for a trial during the next 29 years.

During the 1990s, the widow and children of Martin Luther King Jr. spoke publicly in support of Ray and his claims, calling him innocent and speculating about an assassination conspiracy involving the U.S. government and military. U.S. authorities were, in conspiracists’ minds, implicated circumstantially. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover obsessed over King, who he thought was under communist influence. For the last six years of his life, King underwent constant wiretapping and harassment by the FBI. Before his death, Dr. King was also monitored by U.S. military intelligence, which may have been asked to watch King after he publicly denounced the Vietnam War in 1967. Furthermore, by calling for radical economic reforms in 1968, including guaranteed annual incomes for all, King was making few new friends in the Cold War-era U.S. government.

Over the years, the assassination has been reexamined by the House Select Committee on Assassinations, the Shelby County, Tennessee, district attorney’s office, and three times by the U.S. Justice Department. The investigations all ended with the same conclusion: James Earl Ray killed Martin Luther King. The House committee acknowledged that a low-level conspiracy might have existed, involving one or more accomplices to Ray, but uncovered no evidence to definitively prove this theory. In addition to the mountain of evidence against him—such as his fingerprints on the murder weapon and his admitted presence at the rooming house on April 4—Ray had a definite motive in assassinating King: hatred. According to his family and friends, he was an outspoken racist who informed them of his intent to kill Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He died in 1998.

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Mourning the Death of Martin Luther King Jr.

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, dashed the hopes of black Americans for the commitment of white America to racial equality. White Americans respected him more than other black leaders, but his opposition to the Vietnam War infuriated many. His continued insistence on nonviolent protests frustrated black activists. But in 1968 he still led the struggle for civil rights. “The murder of King changed the whole dynamic of the country,” recalled Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver.

Two photos of mourners lining the sidewalks of Memphis, Tenn., for Marting Luther King Jr.'s funeral procession. (Top) Group of African American gentlemen with a woman and children in foreground; (Bottom) Group of White gentlemen (majority wearing suits).

The New York Times wrote: “Dr. King’s murder is a national disaster.” President Lyndon Johnson declared a national day of mourning and lowered American flags to half-mast. Many white Americans were saddened or appalled; others felt untouched by the murder and some actually celebrated, calling King a “troublemaker.” King’s funeral in Atlanta drew leaders from around the world. Later, President Johnson pressured Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1968 in tribute to King’s work.

Memphis sanitation workers in a memorial march for Martin Luther King Jr., four days after his assassination, Memphis, Tenn., April 8, 1968. 

We use the video player Able Player to provide captions and audio descriptions. Able Player performs best using web browsers Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. If you are using Safari as your browser, use the play button to continue the video after each audio description. We apologize for the inconvenience.

This excerpt from the PBS documentary "1968: The Year that Shaped a Generation" recounts the last days of Martin Luther King and documents the fall-out from his assassination.

The Aftermath of King’s Assassination Responses to King’s death varied. Black Americans were devastated, pained, and angered. Violence erupted in more than 125 American cities across 29 states. Nearly 50,000 federal troops occupied America’s urban areas. Thirty-nine people were killed and 3,500 injured. These uprisings produced more property damage, arrests, and injuries than any other uprising of the 1960s.

Harlem Stays Calm—Almost Violence in Harlem was minor, due in part to New York mayor John Lindsay’s cooperation with militants, gang leaders, and youth organizers. (left) Firefighters battle a store fire set off during riots in Harlem, New York City, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., April 1968.

When [America] killed Dr. King last night she killed the one man of our race that this country’s older generation, the militants and the revolutionaries, and the masses of black people would still listen to. Stokely Carmichael 1968

Washington Burns On H Street, N.E., in Washington, D.C., only storefronts remain standing. Twelve hundred buildings burned, 12 people died, and over 6,000 were arrested while 14,000 federal troops occupied the city for six days during riots following King's assassination, April 5, 1968. 

“My Life for My Brothers” Individuals across the political spectrum displayed memorial buttons and other memorabilia expressing their sorrow and commitment to achieving King’s dream of a just and equal society.  2012.159.11  

San Francisco Group Plans a Revolutionary Memorial The planners of this April 8 event honored King’s commitment to “the poor, the oppressed, and the black victims of a racist American society.” Thus, they demanded that American armed forces be withdrawn from Southeast Asia, all political prisoners be freed, and that the Black Panthers’ program of radical social reforms be implemented.  (left) This handbill announces a mass memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr. and features images of King and Huey P. Newton at the top. 

The Meaning of King’s Death King’s death energized the Black Power Movement. Black Americans felt even more distrustful of white institutions and America’s political system. Membership in the Black Panther Party and other Black Power groups surged. Local organizations grew into national networks. The number of black soldiers in Vietnam supporting Black Power increased dramatically. Polls revealed that some white Americans expressed support for King’s goals, but many remained unmoved.

An issue of Life magazine (Vol. 64, No. 16) featuring the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., April 1968.  2011.17.192 

Subtitle here for the credits modal.

• martin luther king jr

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes: Remembering the civil rights leader with his own words

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

NEW YORK -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Now, more than half a century after his death, we take a look back at inspiring quotes from the civil rights leader in honor of his legacy.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." (Letter from Birmingham City Jail)

"We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right." (Letter from Birmingham City Jail)

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ( 1963 book Strength to Love )

"Oh, there will be a day, the question won't be, 'How many awards did you get in life?' Not that day ... The question that day will not be, 'What kind of automobile did you have?' On that day the question will be, 'What did you do for others?'" ( "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life" sermon )

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." ( Where Do We Go From Here, 1967 )

"If a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live." (Preview of the "Dream" at Detroit March)

"As long as there is poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich even if he has a billion dollars." ("The American Dream")

"Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts." ( Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech )

"Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart..." ("The Drum Major Instinct," Ebenezer Baptist Church)

"Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of dedicated individuals..." ( Oberlin College Commencement )

"If you can't fly, run; if you can't run, walk; if you can't walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving." ( "Keep Moving from this Mountain" address )

ABC News contributed to this report.

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• U.S. & WORLD
• MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

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I Have A Dream

• Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination: Unraveling the Tragic Event

April 19, 2023 by dwayne Leave a Comment

Table Of Contents

A Fateful Day: April 4, 1968

King’s arrival in memphis.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. arrived in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. Their protests were a part of the broader civil rights movement, fighting for equal rights and justice for African Americans.

The Lorraine Motel

King and his entourage, including Jesse Jackson and Andrew Young, stayed at the Lorraine Motel. This motel was a popular spot for black leaders, providing them with a safe haven in the racially tense city.

The Assassination

The fatal shot.

On April 4, 1968, King was standing on the second-floor balcony of the motel when a single shot rang out. The bullet struck King in the neck, causing him to collapse immediately.

Pronounced Dead

King was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital but was pronounced dead at 7:05 pm. The news of King’s assassination sent shockwaves throughout the nation, leading to widespread civil unrest.

The Aftermath of King’s Death

Public reactions.

The news of King’s death sparked riots in more than 100 cities across the United States. The civil unrest lasted for days, leaving thousands injured and numerous dead.

Civil Rights Movement’s Struggle

The civil rights movement lost a key leader, but King’s death also galvanized the movement, inspiring many to continue the fight for equal rights.

King’s Funeral Service

On April 9, 1968, King’s funeral service was held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Thousands of people attended the service, including political leaders and prominent civil rights activists.

James Earl Ray: The Man Behind the Trigger

James Earl Ray was a small-time criminal with a history of robberies and prison escapes. He had a deep-seated hatred for King and the civil rights movement.

Ray’s Involvement

James earl ray fired.

Ray fired the shot that killed King from the bathroom window of a nearby boarding house on South Main Street.

Ray’s Fingerprints

Investigators found Ray’s fingerprints on the rifle used to kill King and on various items left behind in the boarding house.

The Guilty Plea

Ray pleaded guilty.

On March 10, 1969, Ray pleaded guilty to King’s murder, avoiding a trial and the death penalty. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Ray Recanted

Ray later recanted his confession, claiming he was a pawn in a larger conspiracy. He spent the rest of his life trying to prove his innocence.

The Investigation and Arrest

Memphis police department.

The Memphis Police Department launched an extensive manhunt for King’s killer, coordinating with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

Shelby County

The investigation eventually led to Shelby County, where Ray was arrested on June 8, 1968, at London’s Heathrow Airport.

The Boarding House on South Main Street

Investigators discovered that Ray had rented a room at a boarding house on South Main Street, just across from the Lorraine Motel.

The Bathroom Window

The fatal shot was fired from the bathroom window of Ray’s rented room. A rifle with Ray’s fingerprints was found discarded nearby.

Conspiracy Allegations and Ray’s Innocence

Government conspiracy.

Many people believe that the U.S. government was involved in King’s assassination, pointing to the FBI’s surveillance of King and their attempts to discredit him.

Further Investigation

Several investigations have been conducted over the years, but no concrete evidence has been found to support the conspiracy theories.

King’s Legacy: Impact and Remembrance

Coretta Scott King and the King Family

King’s widow.

Coretta Scott King, King’s widow, played a vital role in preserving her husband’s legacy. She fought for the establishment of a national holiday in his honor and worked tirelessly to promote civil rights and social justice.

Dexter King Called

Dexter King, one of King’s sons, has also been vocal in seeking the truth about his father’s assassination. He met with James Earl Ray in 1997 and publicly supported Ray’s efforts to prove his innocence.

The King Center

The King Center, founded by Coretta Scott King, is dedicated to preserving King’s legacy and promoting nonviolent social change. It houses King’s papers, memorabilia, and other historical artifacts.

National Civil Rights Museum

The Lorraine Motel has been transformed into the National Civil Rights Museum, showcasing the history of the civil rights movement and King’s life and work.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: A National Holiday

King’s contributions to the civil rights movement and the fight for racial equality are commemorated annually on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January.

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. remains a pivotal event in American history, shaping the course of the civil rights movement and leaving a lasting impact on society. Despite ongoing conspiracy theories, James Earl Ray’s guilt remains the official conclusion.

• Where did Martin Luther King Jr. get shot? King was shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
• What happened on April 4? On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray.
• Why is Martin Luther King a hero? King is considered a hero for his nonviolent fight for civil rights and racial equality, inspiring millions and bringing about significant social change.
• Who shot Martin Luther King Jr. and why? James Earl Ray shot Martin Luther King Jr. due to his deep-seated hatred for King and the civil rights movement.
• What major tragic events happened in 1968? Major tragic events in 1968 include the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and the escalation of the Vietnam War.
• Who was with MLK when he was shot? King was with Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, and other members of his entourage when he was shot.
• What happened in 1963 Martin Luther King? In 1963, King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
• What are 5 things Martin Luther was known for? King is known for his role in the civil rights movement, his “I Have a Dream” speech, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and advocating for nonviolent resistance.

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Thank you for visiting us and learning more about the great Dr. King!

• Who Did Martin Luther King Jr Marry: MLK & Coretta’s Love Story
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: A Celebration of a Visionary Leader
• Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes on Courage: Inspiring Bravery
• I Have A Dream – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Iconic Speech

African American Heritage

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968)

Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Soviet Border of the Berlin Wall, 1964.

View in National Archives Catalog

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA on January 15th, 1929. He was one of the most important and influential Civil Rights leaders in the 1950s and 1960s. The cornerstones of his activism were based on non-violence and civil disobedience, both of which were inspired by his Christian faith and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. 

He rose to prominence as a leader in 1955 during the Montgomery bus boycott when he was selected to take charge to desegregate the bus services. Afterwards he was elected the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). From this position, he helped organize many Civil Rights movement actions. The most famous being the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was then, on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial, that Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, and in 1965 helped organize the Selma to Montgomery marches to advocate for Black voting rights.

His influence and importance came with a heavy price. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) began surveillance of Dr. King as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover believed him to be a threat to the nation. Part of the investigation was trying to tie Dr. King to communism. The FBI even went so far as to write him a threatening letter, anonymous at the time. Dr. King believed the letter had implied for him to commit suicide.

In the later 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. turned his attention to poverty, capitalism, and the war in Vietnam. Dr. King wanted to occupy Washington, D.C. for his Poor People’s Campaign but he unfortunately never got the chance. On April 4th, 1968, at the age of 38, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. In 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed legislation enacting Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which created a national holiday on the third Monday in January to remember Dr. King on his birthday. His legacy for nonviolent action and civil disobedience still lives on.

Search the Catalog for Records relating to Martin Luther King, Jr.      Social Networks and Archival Context - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Additional Resources from the National Archives

Rediscovering Black History: Blogs on Martin Luther King, Jr .

The Unwritten Record: Blogs on Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pieces of History: Blogs on Martin Luther King, Jr.  

DocsTeach: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Fight for Civil Rights

DocsTeach: The Suffrage and Civil Rights Reform Movements

Resources at the National Archives on Martin Luther King and African American History Month

Special Topics: 1968 - A Year of Turmoil and Change

Findings on the Martin Luther King Assassination

Top 35 + Martin Luther King Jr. for Inspiration and Motivation

img src="https://img.jagranjosh.com/images/2024/April/442024/martin-luther-king-quotes.jpg" width="1200" height="675" />

Best Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes: Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Christian minister, activist, and political philosopher. He was one of the most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement, and his voice resonated profoundly. His eloquence, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to justice have left an indelible mark on the world. In this article, we delve into the timeless wisdom encapsulated in Martin Luther King Jr.'s quotes. Let’s learn from his words, which continue to inspire and challenge us to strive for a better tomorrow.

About Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929. He was an American Baptist minister and civil rights leader who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. King grew up in a family of preachers and became involved in the civil rights movement early in his life. He received his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University in 1955.

King rose to prominence for his role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a nonviolent protest campaign against racial segregation on public transportation in Alabama. He then helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization dedicated to achieving civil rights through nonviolent protest.

King's leadership and oratory skills were instrumental in many pivotal moments of the civil rights movement, including the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

His advocacy led to the passage of landmark civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice and injustice. He remains an enduring symbol of the fight for racial equality and social justice.

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.

• “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
• “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
• “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
• “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
• “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
• Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
• We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
• If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
• The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
• Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
• I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
• Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
• Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
• The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.

Famous Martin Luther King Jr. and Images

• We are not makers of history. We are made by history.
• Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.
• Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'
• Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
• The time is always right to do what is right.
• Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
• Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.
• A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
• We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
• I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
• I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
• He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
• We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
• History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

Martin Luther King Jr., the iconic civil rights leader, was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. His legacy, however, lives on through the numerous honours and awards bestowed upon him posthumously. Among these accolades are the Nobel Peace Prize (1964), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977), and the Congressional Gold Medal (2004), symbolizing his enduring impact on the fight for equality and justice.

King family visits Memphis on 56th anniversary of MLK Jr.'s assassination

The visit is a reminder of Dr. King’s fight for peace, justice and equity.

Martin Luther King III, his wife Arndrea Waters King and their daughter, Yolanda Renee King, made a rare visit to Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday to mark the 56th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

The King family made an appearance at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed on his second floor balcony on April 4, 1968 while visiting Memphis to support a sanitation workers strike.

MORE: Martin Luther King Jr.: A life in pictures

This visit, which notably took place in an election year, is an opportunity to both commemorate the memory and legacy of Dr. King at a time when history is being attacked, the King family said.

"The triple evils that Martin Luther King Jr. talked about, of racism and bigotry and violence and poverty, the only way that those evils will ever be eliminated is through peace, justice and equity," Waters King told ABC News. "I would encourage voters to look through the lens of voting for individuals and laws that lift us all up, voting for laws and individuals that are speaking to our noble character that are speaking to peace, justice and equity that are speaking to community, not chaos."

The King family's visit highlights what they see as a rise in political violence, violence and a rise in hate in general.

"It's not about violence. It's about inclusion. It's about participation. It's about electing people to office who will serve the interest of communities," MLK III said. "My dad and mom and many other elected officials over the years have taught us how to navigate through issues. We may disagree on something, but they are far more things that we should be able to agree on. But we have to create that climate. It doesn't come by osmosis. It comes by people coming together. It comes by treating people with dignity and respect."

MORE: Video Martin Luther King III remembers his father

MLK III noted that he sees the similar patterns between fighting for a climate of democracy today and the sanitation workers fighting to be treated with dignity in 1968.

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The Kings came to the National Civil Rights Museum together as a family for the first time last summer to give Yolanda, MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott King’s only grandchild, a space to have intimate moments with her ancestors. This visit is the first time the family of Dr. King’s oldest son, MLK III, all marked the civil rights activist’s passing at the site of his death.

In honor of the 56th anniversary of Dr. King’s death, the King family also announced Thursday that 16 grassroots programs and initiatives across the country will receive grant funding from the Drum Major Institute, which the King family founded on the ideals of Dr. King, to support their work in preserving democracy.

"In one sense it's a dark day," MLK III said in a press conference Thursday. "But the hope that we must continue to fuse is in this generation and generations yet unborn."

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As we mark Martin Luther King Jr.'s tragic death, let's recommit to the fight for justice

Let us honor dr. martin luther king jr.'s memory not just in words, but in deeds. let us make our voices heard, make our vote count, and demand fiscal accountability..

Dr. Russ Wigginton is president of the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

In the annals of civil rights history, April 4, 1968, marks a solemn day of reckoning. It was the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an icon of peace and justice, was tragically assassinated in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel, where the National Civil Rights Museum now stands.

As the Museum commemorates this pivotal moment, it’s imperative to reflect on Dr. King’s remarkable legacy and the enduring relevance of his vision for economic justice.

Dr. King was not supposed to be in Memphis in late March and early April of 1968.  He allegedly had a bigger calling in preparing for the Poor People’s Campaign .  But Dr. King recognized that the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike was more than striking workers demanding better wages and working conditions; they were Black men asserting their dignity and seeking recognition of their humanity.  

Dr. King’s commitment to economic justice extended beyond the Memphis strike. It found expression in his advocacy for a guaranteed annual Income — a radical idea aimed at eradicating poverty and uplifting the marginalized. This initiative was a central component of his Poor People’s Campaign, which sought to address the root causes of economic inequality. Dr. King understood that the United States could only reach its full potential if all individuals had access to basic necessities and economic security.

Guest column: National Civil Rights Museum is advancing Martin Luther King's economic justice mission

We have made progress, but still struggle with poverty

Fast forward to the present, and the echoes of Dr. King’s economic justice legacy reverberate through our society.

If Dr. King were alive today, I have no doubt that he would acknowledge many of the signs of progress that we can measure over the last 56 years. 

But without question, he would be disturbed by the unconscionable numbers who live in poverty in a nation of unparalleled wealth. 

He would call into question the inequities that exist in foundational areas like housing, health care, and education.

He would have the courage to challenge the power structure for the good of the people. 

He would still be willing to claim the sobering truth that power is wielded by those prioritizing profits over people.

Dismantle systemic barriers to economic equity

When Dr. King was speaking truth to power in April 1968, he reminded us all that we have the power to effect change. History has shown us that change is possible when we unite behind a common cause.

By exercising our right to vote and holding our elected officials accountable, we can demand resource allocation that reflects our moral priorities—a budget that prioritizes investments in education, healthcare, the environment, and infrastructure.

We can advocate for policies that uplift the marginalized and dismantle systemic barriers to economic equity.

As we commemorate Dr. King’s legacy, let us recommit ourselves to the fight for economic justice.

Let us honor his memory not just in words, but in deeds. Let us make our voices heard, make our vote count, and demand fiscal accountability that builds a future where economic justice is not just a dream, but a reality.

Martin Luther King III honors his father's legacy: 'This nation must come together'

The son of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the National Civil Rights Museum Thursday on the 56th anniversary of his father's assassination.

Standing at the exact point where King was shot on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King III honored his father's legacy and lamented the connection that was taken from him.

"The loss of a parent can be transformative," King said, visibly emotional. It was his first time speaking at the annual event in Memphis. "At the age of 10 years old, I didn't get to have adult conversations with my father. He did not see me graduate from high school, or his beloved Morehouse College. He didn't get to meet my wife and our daughter."

King spoke during the "Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. The Moment.", a free public event organized by the National Civil Rights Museum to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Hundreds congregated Thursday on the Memphis museum's courtyard.

Beyond his own personal loss, King spoke of the progress he believed the nation lost as well.

"Had my father lived, we would be on a totally different trajectory," he said. "We may have some issues to address, but they wouldn't be these. These have been repetitive, we keep going 'round and 'round."

King continued, addressing many problems he said the country and the world face today: warfare, a flawed democracy, a broken justice system and systemic poverty, to name a few. But ultimately, the central message he spoke echoed that of his father — one of unity and non-violence.

"This nation must come together, to live out the true promises of who it says it is," King said. "In life, we must decide whether we're... going to go along to get along, or whether we're going to create the climate for change and justice and righteousness and peace. We as human beings can do that. History has shown us that time and time again."

King's wife, Arndrea Waters King, also spoke during Thursday's event. Like her husband, she reaffirmed that Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream did not die with him.

"Here we are today. In some ways it seems even farther from [King's] dream," she said. "But what we know as a family, and why we decided to be here today, as difficult as it is, for us to stand here, is that there is something that man cannot ever destroy. And that love, faith and vision that lived inside of Martin Luther King Jr. now lives inside each and every one of us.

"He did not make it all the way to the mountaintop. But he ignited a vision and a dream, and now in 2024 it is up to each one of us to do our part... History is not about collective guilt. It's about collective responsibility."

Various city and state political leaders could be seen at the ceremony. Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Tennessee state Sen. Raumesh Akbari gave brief opening statements. State Rep. Justin Pearson, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and the parents of Tyre Nichols, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, attended as well.

The ceremony was interspersed with performances from the W. Crimm Singers of Tennessee State University, music from gospel singer Deborah Manning Thomas, and audio from the many speeches King gave over his lifetime. Members of King's fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, presented their own wreath to honor their brother. Winners of the museum's Youth Poetry and Spoken Word Competition performed as well.

The event closed, as it does every year, with the exchanging of the balcony wreath, during a moment of silence at 6:01 p.m., the exact time when King was shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. As the Kings and others lowered the massive wreath onto its resting place moments later, audio of King's final speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop," rang out in an otherwise respectfully silent crowd.

Though it was a difficult day for Martin Luther King III, he ended his speech on a hopeful note, referencing the James Cleveland song "I Don't Feel Noways Tired."

"Do not get noways tired as the song says," King said. "Because we've come too far from where we started. No one ever told any of use that our roads would be easy. But I know our God... didn't bring any of us this far to leave us."

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at [email protected] .

James Earl Ray

James Earl Ray is infamous for assassinating civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

Quick Facts

Early years, martin luther king jr. assassination, innocent or guilty, who was james earl ray.

A confirmed racist and small-time criminal, James Earl Ray began plotting the assassination of revered civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in early 1968. He shot and killed King in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Ray confessed to the crime the following March and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. After his sentencing, Ray recanted his confession and maintained his innocence until his death in prison on April 23, 1998, at age 70.

FULL NAME: James Earl Ray BORN: March 10, 1928 DIED: April 23, 1998 BIRTHPLACE: Alton, Illinois SPOUSE: Anna Sandu (1978-1992) ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Pisces

James Earl Ray was born on March 10, 1928, in Alton, Illinois, was the eldest of George and Lucille Ray's nine children. The Rays struggled to make ends meet, and as a consequence, the family moved several times during the early part of Ray's childhood.

A part of his life was shaped by tragedy. In 1935 the family suddenly left Alton and relocated to Ewing, Missouri, after police had started looking for Ray's father on a forgery charge. Two years later, his young sister Marjorie, died in a fire after playing with matches and accidentally catching herself on fire.

At the age of 16, Ray left his parents and returned to Alton, where he moved in with his grandmother and landed work in the dye room of the International Shoe Tannery.

After getting laid off in 1945, Ray enlisted in the Army, eventually getting stationed in West Germany. But he found it difficult to adapt to the military's strict codes of conduct. He was charged with drunkenness and breaking arrest, before getting discharged for ineptness and lack of adaptability in 1948.

Ray's life outside the Army proved even less stable. After returning to Alton and moving back in with his grandmother, he blazed through a number of odd jobs. In 1949 he left for Los Angeles, where in October of that year police arrested him for robbing a cafe. He was sentenced to 90 days in prison, but the lockup did little to reform him.

Over the next several years, Ray embarked on a number of small crimes, serving various jail times. The most serious of those came in 1959, when Ray, on parole for an earlier theft, robbed two St. Louis grocery stores, as well as another in Alton. In March 1960 Ray started a 20-year sentence for the crimes.

Housed at the Missouri State Penitentiary, Ray managed to escape the facility in 1967. He at first fled to Canada but, unable to get on a ship and flee overseas, he returned to the U.S. and made his way to first Alabama, then Mexico, and later Los Angeles.

Whatever the exact details were that led him to Memphis in April 1968, Ray rented a room at a rooming house under the name Eric Starvo Galt, near the Lorraine Motel, where King was staying.

On April 4, 1968, Ray stood in the bathtub of the bathroom, balanced his rifle on a window ledge and shot King as the civil rights leader was standing on a balcony outside of his motel room. After shooting King, Ray immediately fled, setting off a manhunt that would last more than two months and cover five countries. At the time, it was said to be the FBI's most expensive and biggest investigation in its history.

Finally, on July 19, 1968, the FBI caught up with Ray in London and extradited him to the United States. Ray pleaded guilty to the murder, something he'd spend the rest of his life trying to reverse, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Exactly what led Ray to kill King continues to be a source of debate, as does his role in the murder. Evidence does suggest that Ray had little stomach for the integration policies that were sweeping the country. In addition to his segregationist beliefs, he also saw a big payday, some historians have said, in killing Black leaders like H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael and, of course, King.

In the years following Ray's arrest, questions arose about his exact involvement in King's murder. Ray himself countered that he was not the only one involved in the crime. He insisted that a man he'd met in Canada, who went by the name of Raoul, had orchestrated the murder and ultimately shot King.

Later, in the early 1990s, he suggested a conspiracy involving the government had been behind the assassination. Even a 1978 special congressional committee said there was the "likelihood" that Ray did not act alone.

Toward the end of his life, Ray, whose sentence had been extended to 100 years after he escaped from prison in 1977, had the support of an unexpected ally: the King family. Not long before Ray's death, Dexter King, Dr. King's son, visited the man presumed to be his father's killer. Ray, who was feeble and sick from hepatitis C, was asked by King about his involvement in the assassination. "I had nothing to do with killing your father," Ray said. "I believe you," Dexter responded and shook his hand.

Ray met Anna Sandhu in 1977. A courtroom artist, Sandhu drew Ray during his trial for a prison escape attempt. The two married in 1978 and divorced in 1992.

Ray died at Columbia Nashville Memorial Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 23, 1998. Ray had been treated for liver disease over the years and according to the Tennessee Department of Correction, he died from that and kidney failure.

• I had nothing to do with killing [Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.].

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us !

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Martin Luther King III talks about his father, his name, history and hope

As one might expect, Martin Luther King III experiences what he describes as "myriad emotions" when he returns to Memphis, the city where his world-famous and world-changing father was felled by an assassin's bullet on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in 1968.

“I remember April 4, 56 years ago, the Thursday night my dad was killed,” said King, who was 10 years old at the time. “But I also remember April 8, which was a Monday, the day that my mom took the three of us older children to Memphis to continue the work he was engaged in and lead a demonstration.”

"Mrs. King Leads Silent March in Memphis Tribute to Late Husband" stated the headline at the top of the front page of that day's edition of the evening newspaper, the Memphis Press-Scimitar.

The boldface type ran above a panoramic photograph of thousands of marchers — 14,000, according to the Press-Scimitar — crowding Main Street, with young Martin Luther King III in front, between his older sister, Yolanda, who was flanked by singer Harry Belafonte, and younger brother, Dexter, who was next to the children's mother, Coretta Scott King. She was dressed in black, and the boys wore suitcoats and ties.

"I'm not a big emotional crier," Martin Luther King III said in a Zoom interview Tuesday. "But this morning something triggered an emotion, and it's largely because of the sadness of where we are as a nation 56 years after my dad's passing."

He said America seems to be moving "backward" to a less progressive era of political incivility and anti-democratic tendencies.

"We need to look at ourselves and what we have done or have not done to move our society forward," he said. "We truly hope the nation, which is so divided, can find a true path rooted in peace and justice and equity."

A human rights champion like his father, King and his activist family — his wife, Arndrea Waters King, and daughter, Yolanda Renee King — will be in Memphis on Thursday to take part in an annual event: the free public celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is held each April 4 at the National Civil Rights Museum.

This year's edition of the event is titled " Remembering MLK: The Man. The Movement. The Moment. " The commemoration is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. and end with a moment of silence at 6:05 p.m. — the time when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed outside his room at the Lorraine Motel, which was preserved in the construction of the civil rights museum, which opened in 1991.

Martin Luther King III will speak during the commemoration, and the King family for the first time will participate in the ceremonial placement of a new wreath on the balcony outside Room 306, where Dr. King was staying at the time of his assassination, after having traveled to Memphis to support the city's striking sanitation workers. The event also will feature music and performances by the museum's youth poetry and spoken word competition winners.

Arndrea King said daughter Yolanda, now 15, had visited the museum for the first time only a year ago, because "we wanted to go at a time when she was old enough to understand the significance." Yolanda, however, is hardly unaware of her grandfather's impact. Emerging as an activist herself, last week she addressed the United Nations General Assembly as the invited “youth speaker” on March 25, which the UN designates as "International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade."

Arndrea King said the National Civil Rights Museum is "very important," in large part because it preserves and illustrates the history of race relations in the United States.

“It’s not about collective guilt, it’s about collective responsibility," said Arndrea King, decrying legislative efforts in states such as Tennessee to suppress honest instruction about slavery and the civil rights struggle.

“The fact is, our daughter, who is Dr. King’s only grandchild, at almost 16 years old, has fewer rights now than she had on the day she was born," she said.

She said that laws and court decisions since Yolanda’s birth in 2008 have “decimated” voting rights, “struck down” affirmative action initiatives, and restricted “reproductive freedom” for women, in a regressive assault on individual and democratic rights “that has not happened since Reconstruction.”

Martin Luther King III is Dr. King's eldest son and the second of Dr. King's four children. The first-born child, Yolanda King, died at 51 in 2007. Dr. King's other son, Dexter King, died Jan. 22 at 62. The other surviving child is Bernice King, 60, a lawyer and minister.

King said his famous "Martin Luther King" name has been more a blessing than a burden, thanks to the encouragement of his mother, "liberated" by telling him to be his own man.

"If I had to wake up every day trying to fill the shoes of Martin Luther King Jr., I would would fail miserably," he said.

Nonetheless, King is former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (his father was the founding president); and he and Arndrea King currently head up the Drum Major Institute, a group founded in 1961 to encourage the world to realize "Dr. King’s vision of a world free of racism, poverty and violence," according to the organization's website .

“We’re doing everything we can to see that democracy prevails,” he said, noting that the Drum Major Institute ― intended for people who want to be “drum majors for peace, justice and equity” ― has awarded numerous grants supporting voter-registration efforts.

Said King: “The candidacy of Mr. Trump is not just divisive. He’s told us he want to be a dictator, and there’s an old saying: 'When someone tells you who they are, you need to listen to them.'"

For more information, visit civilrightsmuseum.org .

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GK Quiz on Martin Luther King Jr: Can You Answer These Questions About Martin Luther King Jr.?

Put your knowledge to the test with our gk quiz on martin luther king jr. learn more about his life and achievements..

On April 4th, we honour the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a visionary leader who tirelessly fought for racial equality and justice. His unwavering commitment to nonviolent resistance continues to inspire generations.

To celebrate his legacy, why not test your knowledge with this engaging quiz? See how well you remember the key moments, figures, and philosophies that shaped the Civil Rights Movement. Let's take a moment to learn, reflect, and keep Dr. King's dream alive.

1. In what city was Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated?

a) Atlanta, Georgia

b) Montgomery, Alabama

c) Memphis, Tennessee

d) Washington D.C.

Answer: c) 

Explanation: Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

2. What was the title of Dr. King's famous speech delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom?

a) "I Have a Dream"

b) "How Great Thou Art"

c) "Lift Every Voice and Sing"

d) "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

Answer: a) 

Explanation: Dr. King's famous speech delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom wasn't actually titled "I Have a Dream." While that's the line most remembered from the speech, so the title became "I Have a Dream".

3. Dr. King was a Baptist minister. In which city did he serve as co-pastor alongside his father?

a) Chicago, Illinois

b) Selma, Alabama

c) Birmingham, Alabama

d) Atlanta, Georgia

Answer: d) 

Explanation: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as co-pastor with his father at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

4. For what achievement did Dr. King receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964?

a) Leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott

b) Advocating for nonviolent resistance

c) Delivering the "I Have a Dream" speech

d) Founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Answer: b) 

Explanation: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for African Americans. He was recognised for his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement

5. What was the name of the civil rights organization co-founded by Dr. King in 1957?

a) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

b) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

c) Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

d) Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Explanation: The civil rights organization co-founded by Dr. King in 1957 was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

6. What was the year the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, outlawing segregation in public places and accommodations?

Explanation: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed on July 2, 1964. 

7. What was the name of Dr. King's wife, a civil rights activist in her own right?

a) Rosa Parks

b) Maya Angelou

c) Coretta Scott King

d) Dorothy Height

Explanation: Dr. King's wife was  Coretta Scott King.  She was a civil rights activist alongside her husband and continued to fight for social justice causes after his assassination.

8. What was the year Dr. King was born?

Explanation: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on 15 January 1929.  

9. Dr. King is best remembered for his leadership in what social justice movement?

a) Women's Suffrage Movement

b) American Labor Movement

c) Anti-War Movement

d) Civil Rights Movement

Explanation: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is best remembered for his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement.  

10. What educational institution awarded Martin Luther King Jr. his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology?

a) Morehouse College

b) Crozer Theological Seminary

c) Boston University

d) Harvard Divinity School

Explanation: Martin Luther King Jr. received his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Boston University in 1955.

Get here current GK and GK quiz questions in English and Hindi for India , World, Sports and Competitive exam preparation. Download the Jagran Josh Current Affairs App .

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