Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. King was a Baptist minister and social activist who played a key role in the American Civil Rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. He was inspired by advocates of non-violence, such as Mahatma Gandhi. In addition, King sought equality for African-Americans, the economically disadvantaged, and victims of injustice through peaceful protest. He was the driving force behind events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, which helped bring about the in Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and is recognized each year on January 18th - Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a U.S. federal holiday since 1986.
On December 1, 1955, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) seized another chance to challenge Montgomery's segregated bus policy. That evening, a woman named Rosa Parks, 42, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man. Parks was arrested and booked for not following the Montgomery city code. A leader of a local NAACP chapter met with Dr. King and various other civil rights leaders to come up with a plan to boycott the buses. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected to be the leader of the bus boycott because he was young and well-trained with solid family connections and a professional standing. Dr. King was also new to the community and had few enemies. The bus boycott lasted for 382 days of walking to work. The African-American community in Montgomery took legal action against the city, stating that "separate is never equal." After the city of Montgomery was defeated by several lower courts rulings and after suffering financial losses, Montgomery agreed to lift the law mandating segregated buses.
In January of 1957, Martin Luther King Jr., a collection of ministers and civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to harness the authority and organizing power of black churches. SCLC has coordinated many sit in movements with non-violent methods during the protest. In 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. had national notoriety; he was co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church and was imprisoned for violating his probation on a traffic conviction.
John F. Kennedy made a phone call to the King residence and expressed his concerns about the treatment Dr. King received over a traffic ticket and King was quickly released thanks to political pressure. When Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, he emphasized his belief that someday all men, regardless of skin color, could be brothers. This caused many people from different cities, who were not experiencing racial tension, to question the nation's Jim Crow laws and the poor treatment of African-American citizens. Shortly after came the passage of the Civil Right Act of 1964, which authorized the federal government to enforce desegregation of public accommodations and outlawed discrimination in publicly owned facilities. After all of his accomplishments, Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his non-violent campaign against racism.
The marches, sit-ins, and Civil Rights movement as a whole were the stepping stones to get all African-Americans where we are today, although the community still faces challenges to this day. I'm sure Dr. King would want us to face these challenges with the same dignity and respect as he did. Fighting negative stereotypes about African-Americans is something I'm sure Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud of.
