On the heels of the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year’s, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 20) sometimes feels like it gets lost in the shuffle. But each year we collectively pause to remember Dr. King and his lifetime of civil rights work.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born and raised in Atlanta, where his grandfather and father were both Baptist pastors. He rose through segregated schools to become a stellar student and graduated high school at age 15 before attending Morehouse College and Crozer Theological Seminary.
In 1954, King Jr. became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Always a strong worker for civil rights for members of his race, King was by this time, a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the leading organization of its kind in the nation.
King Jr. preached protest through non-violent demonstrations, boycotts and marches. In the 11-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over 2,500 times. He wrote five books and dozens of essays and articles. He also famously delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of 250,000 people in Washington, D.C.
King Jr. became the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize, at the age of 35, and subsequently donated the prize money (more than $54,000) to organizations furthering the civil rights movement.
On April 4, 1968, King Jr. was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old.
Public schools, banks, government offices and many businesses will be closed on Monday in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s important that we not only remember his works, but also his message of integrity, equality and community.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr