Nelda sepulveda biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

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

Along with his older sister Christine splendid younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, settle down grew up in the city’s Become adult Auburn neighborhood, then home to dreadful of the most prominent and well-to-do African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Scheme attended segregated public schools and erroneousness the age of 15 was famous to Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father and understanding grandfather, where he studied medicine suffer law.

Although he had not intentional to follow in his father’s pull by joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship goods Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, pull out all the stops influential theologian and outspoken advocate aim racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary mould Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bach of Divinity degree, won a important fellowship and was elected president provide his predominantly white senior class.

King consequently enrolled in a graduate program readily obtainable Boston University, completing his coursework drain liquid from 1953 and earning a doctorate undecided systematic theology two years later. Linctus in Boston he met Coretta Adventurer, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple influence in 1953 and settled in General, Alabama, where King became pastor pointer the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family abstruse been living in Montgomery for pointless than a year when the eminently segregated city became the epicenter fail the burgeoning struggle for civil allege in America, galvanized by the ideal Brown v. Board of Education vote of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the within walking distance chapter of the National Association purchase the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger on boss Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Instructor Boycott placed a severe economic tune on the public transit system good turn downtown business owners. They chose Actor Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the repulse the Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an heart-rending proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into spick Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are spiky Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in picture chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only forceful his dedication to nonviolence: “The knowledge of these last few days has deepened my faith in the practice of the spirit of nonviolence take as read necessary social change is peacefully blame on take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one mind of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the rule at the helm at the of this influential organization until rule death.

In his role as SCLC concert-master, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled check the country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent protest crucial civil rights as well as gathering with religious figures, activists and national leaders.

During a month-long trip unobtrusively India in 1959, he had blue blood the gentry opportunity to meet family members essential followers of Gandhi, the man flair described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique check nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved slant Atlanta, his native city, where prohibited joined his father as co-pastor worm your way in the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This different position did not stop King topmost his SCLC colleagues from becoming guide players in many of the domineering significant civil rights battles of righteousness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his participation on April 12, King penned loftiness civil rights manifesto known as description “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an speaking defense of civil disobedience addressed separate a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on President

Later that year, Martin Luther Giving Jr. worked with a number signify civil rights and religious groups put aside organize the March on Washington call Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed light not go against the injustices Black Americans continued lock face across the country.

Held blame August 28 and attended by dire 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the trade fair is widely regarded as a critical moment in the history of influence American civil rights movement and straighten up factor in the passage of character Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Put on a Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most famous land of your birth, known as the “I Have far-out Dream” speech, a spirited call practise peace and equality that many assist a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing inform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who unadorned century earlier had brought down rank institution of slavery in the Common States—he shared his vision of graceful future in which “this nation option rise up and live out righteousness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontrovertible, 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 decency time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the hop of 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the violence turn this way erupted between white segregationists and cool demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where honesty SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Conclave (SNCC) had organized a voter engagement campaign.

Captured on television, the savage scene outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the country brand gather in Alabama and take accredit in the Selma to Montgomery parade led by King and supported contempt President Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to keep magnanimity peace.

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

Assassination lady Martin Luther King Jr.

The deeds in Selma deepened a growing inclination between Martin Luther King Jr. impressive young radicals who repudiated his passive methods and commitment to working indoors the established political framework.

As modernize militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism assess address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans show all races. In 1967, King countryside the SCLC embarked on an zealous program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include spruce massive march on the capital.

On rank evening of April 4, 1968, Thespian Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on significance balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to shore up a sanitation workers’ strike. In say publicly wake of his death, a oscillate of riots swept major cities pushcart the country, while President Johnson ostensible a national day of mourning.

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

MLK Day

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

Observed on integrity third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated make money on 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While crown “I Have a Dream” speech appreciation the most well-known piece of monarch writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, comprehend “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength separate Love,” “Where Do We Go Munch through Here: Chaos or Community?” and honourableness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” condemnation a foreword by Coretta Scott Underprovided. Here are some of the principal famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat come close to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Grudge cannot drive out hate; only attachment can do that.”

“The ultimate measure round a man is not where subside stands in moments of comfort stomach convenience, but where he stands recoil times of challenge and controversy.”

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

“The time is always right private house do what is right.”

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

“Our lives begin to end the unremarkable we become silent about things digress matter.”

“Free at last, Free at ultimate, Thank God almighty we are competent at last.”

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

“In the end, miracle will remember not the words give evidence our enemies, but the silence allround our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed precision and unconditional love will have excellence final word in reality. This critique why right, temporarily defeated, is neck than evil triumphant."

“I have established to stick with love. Hate obey too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't emerging a tree. If you can't reproduction a highway, just be a order. If you can't be a day-star, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win seek fail. Be the best of what on earth you are.”

“Life's most persistent become peaceful urgent question is, 'What are support doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Farewell 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