Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

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Today we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who changed society for the better.  He gave his life to equality in our country.

Many people have created statues in his honor.  There are many memorials all over the nation giving tribute to Martin Luther King.  Pictured left is in Washington D.C. and was unveiled in 2011.

The bronze statue left below is found in New York showing King giving one of his famous speeches.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had always been a strong advocate for the civil rights for members of his race and held many leadership positions.  In 1954 he was a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  In 1955 he led the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times, also known as the bus boycott, which lasted 382 days, ending the a court ruling saying that all could ride the bus as equals.

In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement.  During this time, King traveled all over, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action.

He also led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama providing what he called a coalition of conscience.  He directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, “l Have a Dream”, as well as conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson.Martin Luther King, Jr. had always been a strong advocate for the civil rights for members of his race and held many leadership positions.  In 1954 he was a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  In 1955 he led the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times, also known as the bus boycott, which lasted 382 days, ending the a court ruling saying that all could ride the bus as equals.

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In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement.  During this time, King traveled all over, appearing wherever there was injustice,protest, and action.

Throughout his life as a leader and symbol, King was arrested, his home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abused, he was arrested more than twenty times and assaulted at least four times.

One the other hand, he was awarded five honorary degrees, he was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963, and and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.  At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize and gave his earnings towards the civil rights movement.

In 1968, he was assassinated while standing on the balcony of his motel room.

He believed that all men should be treated as equals, each having the same opportunity for a successful and happy life.  Martin Luther King Jr. helped change the way we see the world and those around us; we have much to be thankful for.

The bronze statue left is located on the University of Texas campus and was revealed in 1999.

The bronze statue right of Martin Luther King showing his determination and commitment in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Tags:

Bronze Statue, equality, memorial

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