Who is Martin Luther King?
Martin Luther King Jr. is a figure we have all been learning about since elementary school, but who is he? Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929, so we celebrate him every year on that same day. He was raised as a good person from a young age; his parents raised him. He was a fair and honest man, and you can’t find much about him that would make you hate him. His background consists of promoting rights for people considered a minority in the early days of American progress, being one of the most well-known civil rights activists, and even expanding beyond that to help all people. He has done many more amazing things to reward himself as undoubtedly one of the best people ever to live.
What is MLK Day?
MLK Day is a day to appreciate everything Martin Luther King has done for us. It is celebrated on January 15th because he was born on January 15th, 1929. All kinds of people from all sorts of races and places gather to celebrate this fantastic person, rallying, marching, and giving speeches just like he would to this day. Annually, people also do a peace walk to give thanks and a moment of silence and positivity for him. Many families don’t celebrate Martin Luther King Day, but that is okay because most people who don’t still express their appreciation for him and his work.
I Have a Dream
Martin Luther King is most known for his fantastic speech I Have a Dream, where he got onto the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and didn’t just rant about the struggles; he meant it when he said that he wished that no person would be judged for the color of their skin, but their personality. After this, Martin Luther King gained an even bigger following, but this wouldn’t be the best thing later.
Final moments
MLK had a following more than ever, but like everything, attention comes from positive and negative attention. Just a few years after his I Have a Dream speech, James Earl Ray had enough of his uprising, shooting him dead on April 4th, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. His death sparked riots throughout the nation, and after the shooter fled to the United Kingdom, he didn’t get far as he was in the hands of American Law Enforcement within just a short amount of time. We still honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his courageous actions to attempt the seemingly impossible of treating everyone equally.
RELATED STORIES:
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/15-year-battle-martin-luther-king-jr-day
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/how-martin-luther-king-jr-s-birthday-became-a-holiday-3
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Day
https://www.history.com/news/martin-luther-king-jr-day-controversial-origins-of-the-holiday
