LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Virginia –
A leader is born Martin Luther King Jr. was born Jan. 15, 1929. He had his first encounter with racial discrimination at an early age. His best friend growing up was a little white boy. In 1953, the boys were placed in separate schools; from that point on the white boy’s father would no longer let Martin play with his child. Martin’s parents tried to explain what it was to be “colored.” Hearing the stories his parents had told, Martin decided to hate the white race.
Changing attitudes
The bright young man graduated high school at 15 and went on to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. While at Morehouse College, Martin began to understand racial attitudes and changed his feelings toward the white race.
After Morehouse, he attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, Penn. While there, he discovered several philosophies. The first philosophy was from Walter Rauschenbusch, who insisted “that all aspects of human life be relevant, not just our souls.”
The second was Henry David Thoreau, whose concept of passive resistance were interpreted by Mahatma Gandhi and used in his nonviolent strikes and boycotts.
The last philosophy was from Reinhold Niebur, who believed “Gandhi’s tactics could work for anyone willing to endure a long and difficult campaign.”
Martin’s interpretations of these men helped build the foundation in which he used to help with the civil rights movement.
Beginning a legacy
Dr. King did great things, not only for African Americans but for all of mankind. First was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 1, 1955. Mrs. Rosa Parks politely declined to surrender her seat on the bus; which resulted in her being arrested.
Dr. King spoke that first evening of the boycott, where it was then determined that instead of the original idea of a one-day boycott, the African Americans in the community would refuse to use the Montgomery Bus Transit System until their demands of a first come, first serve idea was met.
On November 14, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal to segregate the buses. According to Stephen B. Oates the Montgomery Bus Boycott “instilled a sense of pride in African Americans throughout the South, who felt they could hold their heads high for the first time and never have to bow them again.”
Another milestone for Dr. King was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; in which he was elected president. SCLC’s purpose was to use southern African American churches to assist in civil rights activities. SCLC’s first campaign was for African American and their voting rights.
They started the campaign on President Lincoln’s birthday in 1958, with hopes of influencing the upcoming presidential election of 1960.
He had a dream
One of Dr. King’s most known achievements was the march on Washington in 1963. Dr. King was selected to be the final speaker. He thought he’d only be speaking to 100,000 people. Instead, there were 250,000 people; the largest crowd to gather for a civil rights demonstration. Dr. King’s speech began with President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
After Dr. King’s finished what he had planned to say, he told the crowd that he still had a dream, and so he began his infamous “I have a dream” speech.
Hatred unveiled
In 1967, two men from St. Louis offered $70,000 to whoever would kill Dr. King. Knowing this, Dr. King refused to live his days in fear or to even arm himself in protection. February 4, 1968, Dr. King was preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church when he told his congregation that if something was to happen to him, he wanted to be remembered as someone who tried to love and serve humanity, rather than win recognition and achieve great success.
April 4, 1968, Dr. King stepped out onto a hotel balcony not knowing he was being watched. One shot from a sniper rifle struck Dr. King in his neck causing him to lose so much blood that he was unable to recover.
Recognizing a leader
In 1983 after debating for fifteen years, Congress declared the third Monday of January to be made a federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and all of his accomplishments. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of great intelligence and with a beautiful vision. Not only did he fight for equal rights for African American’s but for all of mankind. He stood up for his beliefs and never gave up hope.