I have a dream
The word that struck me hard while watching the news last Wednesday on January 6th was ‘insurrection’ as Washington DC appeared in chaos. The violent mobs had entered the US Capitol building, with bombs and guns. ‘This is terrible news, I said to myself.
“This is an insurrection” the news reporter said. I grabbed my phone and searched up the word. And I got my answer right away. It meant’ a violent uprising against an authority or government’. I couldn’t stop thinking about it as I continued with my virtual school. This is not the America that Martin Luther King had dreamt of.It’s unfortunate that we are living in a time where there are incidents of racial injustice, violence and insurrection. This is not who we Americans are. Today let’s remember a hero who fought for civil rights,believed in non violence and had a dream for our country. Well you are right. I am going to talk about Martin Luther King jr who has always inspired me. His birthday is celebrated as Martin Luther King jr day every year in January.
Martin Luther King Jr was born on January 15 1929, in Atlanta. King grew up as a religious and a very smart person. He was a pastor at a black church for a part time job. Segregation was a serious problem back in those days .When Martin was young, he had a white friend but his friend’s parents said that they can’t be friends as Martin was a bad influence. Public places including schools, parks and restaurants were separated based on the race. Black people were mistreated. King was a good student and graduated high school at the young age of 15. King graduated from Morehouse university. Growing up, King was extremely disappointed about the differences between blacks and Whites. King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and his non violence activism. King went to peaceful protests to fight for voting rights, desegregation and labor rights. King led the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and later became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1953, he married Coretta Scott King and had four kids, Martin Luther King III, Yolanda King, Dexter King, and Bernice King.
King wished to end the racism and segregation in the country. So he planned to organize a peaceful rally where he gave his famous speech of the “I have a dream” .On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., delivered this speech to a large groups of people around the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC.He spoke about Black kids and White kids and all people to join hands together and make peace. He highlighted that color doesn’t matter. Several people from all over the country came to listen to the speech and King was so happy that his efforts were getting successful . He received many awards including the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize.
People who disagreed with King were sending him death threats. The world will never forget what happened on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, as on this dark day, Martin Luther King was assassinated. He was shot and nothing could bring him back. The world had shattered for all Americans. Heroes like MLK never die as they leave their legacy for generations to come. We Americans should always remember what Dr King had said: Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Happy Birthday Dr MLK!
I want to end this blog with a few fun facts about Dr Martin Luther King:
- King’s birth name was Michael, not Martin.
- King entered college at the age of 15. …
- King received his doctorate in systematic theology.
- King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech was not his first at the Lincoln Memorial. …
- King was imprisoned nearly 30 times. …
- King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt a decade before his death.
- Martin Luther King’s favorite food was fried chicken and Pecan Pie.
- King’s favorite color was brown
- King was a paperboy when he was younger.
- King’s Zodiac Sign was Capricorn.