Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15, 1929.in Atlanta GA. with his parents Martin Luther King Sr. and his mother, Alberta Williams King, his older sister Christine and younger brother, A.D. His father was a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, and his mother was a church leader and an active member of the church.

Timeline

Dr. King became distinguished after serving as a spokesman for the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.

In 1957, Dr. King was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and continued to be president until the day he was assassinated.

In April of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for leading a non-violent anti-segregation march. and 4 days later he wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” while he was incarcerated in Birmingham city jail. He also led the “March on Washington” where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech

In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest person to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize at 35 years old.

• “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”.

Between 1965 and 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began to focus more on economic injustice.

In 1965, he led Selma to Montgomery marches and the Voting Rights Act. He fought for the removal of toll fees and the removal of segregated laws.

In 1967, Dr. King spoke out about the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and fought for peace and justice for all people.

In 1698, he organized the Poor People’s Campaign. This was a demand for economic rights for all races. During his trip to Memphis Tennessee supporting labor rights and better wages for those in the lower economic class.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the National Civil Rights Museum by James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968.

Though there are many conspiracy theories about who the real murderer was and who was involved in it, legally, James Earl Ray is the official assassin.

Even after Dr. Martin Luther King passed away, his legacy stayed alive. We celebrate Dr. King’s astonishing impact on the civil rights movement on MLK Day. MLK Day is celebrated on the third Monday of January as a celebration of his birthday and to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and everything he did for the African American Community and the world.