The day I was writing this blog was Martin Luther King Jr Day, a day where we celebrate one of the most famous of all African American leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But WHY is he so important? Here is a quick reminder of who Martin Luther King Jr. was.
PARENTAL WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GUN VIOLENCE, BOMBS, AND MORE SADDENING THEMES FOR YOUR CHILD. READ THIS ARTICLE WITH YOUR CHILD IF THE LATTER IS EIGHT OR YOUNGER.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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“I have a dream today.”
You may know these words as from the “I Have A Dream” speech Martin Luther King Jr wrote and gave out on August 28, 1963. He is honored today but back then, the way he was treated back then was the opposite as he is treated today. Why? Well, lucky you, you’re going to find out.
Martin (born as Michal) Luther King Jr was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His grandfather and father both were pastors at his local church. King was born in the surrounding hands of segregation, which he noticed a lot.
Before I continue, first I have to explain what segregation IS! Well, back then, blacks (African Americans) were not treated the same way as whites (caucasians) were. Whites had cleaner drinking water, while blacks didn’t. Schools were also different, blacks would have school classrooms with less textbooks, less room, and sometimes even less school (which actually is a bad thing). Whites on the other hand had school classrooms with more room, better knowledge, and even a playground! Restaurants, buses and even bathrooms were divided (whites would have better supply). This separation because of race was called segregation.
Unfair, right? Well moving on, Martin Luther King Jr was actually a great student! Don’t believe me? My proof is that he graduated high school when he was FIFTEEN. He soon met a woman named Coretta Scott, whom he soon married. In 1953, he and Scott moved to Montgomery, the capital on Alabama. In 1954, he became a pastor. Around this time, some serious things were happening.
Around the time, a woman named Rosa Parks was on segregated bus and when some whites came on that same bus Parks was in, she was told to give up her seat to a white man, but Parks refused. And just because of her refusal, she was arrested (this I think was unconstitutional because Park’s words were protected by the 1st amendment, allowing freedom of speech).
When King heard about this, he immediately took action. With the help from activist Jo Ann Robinson, the two made a bus boycott, which made most blacks refuse to ride on buses. The boycott lasted for approximately 382 days, which is equal to 1 year and 22 days. While the boycott was happening, King was arrested, and his house was bombed. He also had to go through personal abuse.
However, after the boycott, The Supreme Court banned segregated buses. After King was released from prison, he was inspired by Mahatma Gandi, who used peaceful protests to free India from British ruling. King decided to use the same thing and organize some churches to help use some peaceful protesting for civil rights.
King organized these protests all over the country of Montgomery, marched and traveled for over 6 million miles. When he made his big protest at Birmingham, the whole WORLD saw it. And the most famous act King did was giving his “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington DC (specifically at the Lincoln Memorial) to about 250,000 people.
However, police were actually attacking the peaceful protesters (freedom of speech! It’s exactly in the Bill of Rights!). The whole world watched in shock as police were doing this to harmless citizens that were just representing themselves. The result was that King was arrested twenty times during the protests, but the arrests got him to a large place- him getting to meet presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson also had the Civil Rights (1964) and Voting Rights (1965) Acts to pass in Congress to kick out segregation laws in the USA.
And at the age of 35, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, being the youngest man to receive one (the youngest person being Malala Yousafzai). But when things were starting to look up, tragedy struck.
On April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, where King was going to lead another protest with garbage workers, a young man went up to him, pointed his gun to King’s back. Bam. King died instantly. The man, James Earl Ray, was caught and sentenced for prison for 99 years. Martin Luther King Jr was 39.
Even though he was 39 when he was assassinated, King made a huge impact on the community. In his honor, we celebrate today and grief for his loss, one day at at a time.
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Thank you for reading today’s blog, I know I don’t do this and that this is away from the humor I give to you, but I hope everyone has a great start of the New Year.
Resources:
Brainpop
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/biographical/
https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety
https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Earl-Ray
– Nova Subedi