Today, Monday, January 20, marks a celebration for the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. King diligently worked for civil rights in the United States. Through his work as a Baptist minister and leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he played a leading role in eliminating legal segregation.
Delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech has been dubbed as one of the greatest demonstrations for freedom in the history of the nation, just as he said it would during the speech.
“Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, honoring his efforts for freedom.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.
On this MLK Day, let us further appreciate the historic and world-altering contributions made towards civil success by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.