The Montgomery Improvement Association was created to counter the segregation and unfair treatment of the city’s African American bus riders. The Association selected Martin Luther King, Jr. to serve as their leader. In an effective move, African American travelers avoided the bus, a step that cost the city money. In a historic victory the city buses were desegregated a little over a year after the protest began.
Civil Rights Movement and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Seeing a need to continue to organize and move toward equality and civil rights for all Americans, Dr. King helped to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) over which he presided as president. In 1960, he, Coretta and their children moved from Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia. By this time the King family had begun to receive death threats and once had their home dynamited.
To advance the Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked with other area leaders like Fred Shuttlesworth and Medgar Evers and organized sit-ins and was jailed. Together they and other concerned citizens marched in support of civil rights. Marchers were sprayed with fire hoses and attacked by police dogs. Birmingham, Alabama’s Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connors led the charge and presented himself as one of the great attackers against civil rights.
Historic 1963 March on Washington
April 3, 1963 a dog attack upon marchers was televised. Americans were shocked by what they witnessed. The numbers of people who voiced their concern against violence launched at people involved with the Civil Rights Movement grew.
On August 28, 1963, over 200,000 Americans accompanied Dr. King to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. During the historic “March on Washington” Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his memorable “I Have a Dream” speech.
By the late 1960s, Dr. King had broadened his focus to include opposition against the Vietnam War and negligence of the nation’s poor. He was preparing to lead a Poor People’s March to Washington at the time that he was gunned down while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The date was April 4, 1968. Martin was 39 years old. President Barack Obama was a mere six years old at the time, perhaps too young to realize what was happening in the world around him.
Memphis Tennessee’s Lorraine Motel
The night before he was assassinated and as reported at Biography Tru Story, Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed an audience at the Mason Temple Church in Memphis, Tennessee. During his speech, Dr. King stated that, “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.” His prophetic words rang true the next day.
During his lifetime, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s peaceful organization, leadership and Civil Rights efforts were honored on numerous occasions. In 1964 Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was 35 years old when he received the honor which made him the youngest person to receive the award at the time.
An eloquent and engaging speaker, Dr. King gave numerous speeches at churches and community related events. He was father to four children: Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter Scott and Bernie Albertine. January 31, 2006 his beloved wife, Coretta, passed away.
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta’s legacy lives on around the globe. The King Center, located in Martin’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, offers educational programs and activities that schools, adults and children can participate in to learn more about Dr. King, his wife Coretta and nonviolent change.
In 1983 former President Ronald Reagan signed the bill that officially made Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a federal holiday. The holiday began to be officially observed on the third Monday in January starting in 1986. Fourteen years later in 2000, all 50 states observed the holiday.
Books and Writings by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Readers, educators, students and community leaders who want to find books, speeches and videos made by or created about the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. can find the works at the King Center, their local libraries, at bookstores like Borders, Barnes and Noble and Waldenbooks. Amazon.com and Cushcity.com are excellent sources that list books by and about Martin Luther King, Jr. Many people focus on the works of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during Black History Month or around the United States National King holiday. However, Dr. King's works are relevant and impactful throughout the year.
Sources:
The King Center Official Website. 25 October 2009.
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