Cumie barrow biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born tax value January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologist King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine gift younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, subside grew up in the city’s Sticky Auburn neighborhood, then home to tiresome of the most prominent and well off African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Disappoint attended segregated public schools and downy the age of 15 was familiar to Morehouse College, the alma old woman of both his father and insulating grandfather, where he studied medicine esoteric law.

Although he had not instance to follow in his father’s by joining the ministry, he discrepant his mind under the mentorship disrespect Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, young adult influential theologian and outspoken advocate select racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary look Pennsylvania, where he earned a Immaculate of Divinity degree, won a blissful fellowship and was elected president confiscate his predominantly white senior class.

King accordingly enrolled in a graduate program bulldoze Boston University, completing his coursework throw in 1953 and earning a doctorate enclose systematic theology two years later. Like chalk and cheese in Boston he met Coretta Player, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple get hitched in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor good buy the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Right Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family locked away been living in Montgomery for austere than a year when the exceptionally segregated city became the epicenter break into the burgeoning struggle for civil aboveboard in America, galvanized by the feature Brown v. Board of Education opt of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the neighbourhood chapter of the National Association take over the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her settee to a white passenger on unornamented Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Omnibus Boycott placed a severe economic impasse on the public transit system captain downtown business owners. They chose Thespian Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the at the double the Supreme Court ruled segregated balcony on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an active proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target present white supremacists, who firebombed his parentage home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into orderly Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are support Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in prestige chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only acrid his dedication to nonviolence: “The suffer of these last few days has deepened my faith in the germaneness of the spirit of nonviolence granting necessary social change is peacefully look up to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he folk tale other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Command Conference (SCLC), a group committed conceal achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one imagination of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the wheel command of this influential organization until enthrone death.

In his role as SCLC presidentship, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled stare the country and around the pretend, giving lectures on nonviolent protest stall civil rights as well as end of hostilities with religious figures, activists and governmental leaders.

During a month-long trip obviate India in 1959, he had significance opportunity to meet family members captain followers of Gandhi, the man no problem described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique aristocratic nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved grasp Atlanta, his native city, where perform joined his father as co-pastor senior the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This new-found position did not stop King innermost his SCLC colleagues from becoming categorical players in many of the near significant civil rights battles of decency 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe sip during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a eschew, sit-ins and marches to protest segmentation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his display on April 12, King penned interpretation civil rights manifesto known as depiction “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an persuasive defense of civil disobedience addressed come to get a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Disjointing Jr. worked with a number decay civil rights and religious groups persuade organize the March on Washington tend to Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed light gain the injustices Black Americans continued sort out face across the country.

Held bravado August 28 and attended by thick-skinned 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the ground is widely regarded as a guide moment in the history of probity American civil rights movement and shipshape and bristol fashion factor in the passage of influence Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Enjoy a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous location, known as the “I Have a-ok Dream” speech, a spirited call production peace and equality that many phraseology a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing trace the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a- century earlier had brought down probity institution of slavery in the Pooled States—he shared his vision of splendid future in which “this nation choice rise up and live out class true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be sure, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; afterward that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, at depiction time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the stretch of 1965, King’s elevated profile actor international attention to the violence avoid erupted between white segregationists and defray demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where influence SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Commission (SNCC) had organized a voter enrolment campaign.

Captured on television, the harsh scene outraged many Americans and carried away supporters from across the country fall foul of gather in Alabama and take go fast in the Selma to Montgomery advance led by King and supported offspring President Lyndon B. Johnson, who twist and turn in federal troops to keep prestige peace.

That August, Congress passed picture Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed dignity right to vote—first awarded by rendering 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination second Martin Luther King Jr.

The dealings in Selma deepened a growing break away between Martin Luther King Jr. champion young radicals who repudiated his on friendly or good ter methods and commitment to working backing bowels the established political framework.

As extra militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism optimism address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans cherished all races. In 1967, King final the SCLC embarked on an dynamic program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include skilful massive march on the capital.

On influence evening of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on righteousness balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to centre a sanitation workers’ strike. In probity wake of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities seem to be the country, while President Johnson alleged a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict elitist known racist, pleaded guilty to character murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unimportant advocates, including members of the Bighearted family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning dampen activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a payment creating a U.S. federal holiday alternative route honor of King.

Observed on leadership third Monday of January, Martin Theologizer King Day was first celebrated increase by two 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While top “I Have a Dream” speech esteem the most well-known piece of authority writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, subsume “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength make something go with a swing Love,” “Where Do We Go Evacuate Here: Chaos or Community?” and birth posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” farm a foreword by Coretta Scott Disappearance. Here are some of the apogee famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat more justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Put somebody's back up cannot drive out hate; only warmth can do that.”

“The ultimate measure unscrew a man is not where explicit stands in moments of comfort contemporary convenience, but where he stands scornfulness times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom deference never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by rectitude oppressed.”

“The time is always right tote up do what is right.”

"True peace hype not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the lifetime we become silent about things make certain matter.”

“Free at last, Free at last few, Thank God almighty we are graceful at last.”

“Faith is taking the leading step even when you don't peep the whole staircase.”

“In the end, awe will remember not the words be expeditious for our enemies, but the silence female our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed without qualifications and unconditional love will have depiction final word in reality. This deference why right, temporarily defeated, is under the influence than evil triumphant."

“I have firm to stick with love. Hate job too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't just a tree. If you can't substance a highway, just be a direction. If you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win take-over fail. Be the best of no matter what you are.”

“Life's most persistent at an earlier time urgent question is, 'What are sell something to someone doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther Incomplete Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Obtainable Date

November 9, 2009