By: Belle David
With Martin Luther King Jr. day coming up, we thought we would write a story about the man who changed our world, all with a dream. He dedicated his life in hopes of ensuring unbiased and equal treatment towards everyone. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta. He was raised and grew up around racial segregation but had no tolerance for it. Little did he know that one day he would fight back and change it all. King’s leadership played an essential role in the Civil Rights Movement. In the late 1950s and ‘60s Dr.King led a nonviolent movement to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the US, inspired by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and his Christian faith. In his brief 13 years of leading the Civil Rights movements, he led and participated in many campaigns against poverty, international conflict, and unfair treatment. We can’t forget his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech, which helped him win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. It also led to President Johnson passing a law the next year prohibiting any racial discrimination. Unfortunately, bad things happen to good people, and he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. On Monday we will commemorate and celebrate the man that went to jail 29 times, who went through so much harassment and torture just to give freedom to everyone. On Monday we will honor the civil rights activist who worked so hard to make the world a better place.
¨And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
¨And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.¨
-Martin Luther King Jr.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-facts.html
http://www.thekingcenter.org/meaning-king-holiday
http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/history/martin-luther-king-jr/