Martin Luther King Jr
By Dj Maiden
1. March on Washington
In 1963, Dr. King achieved perhaps his most important accomplishment when he helped lead over 200,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the Washington Monument. The march was organized by King and groups of civil rights, labor and religious organizations in order to gain civil and economic equality for African-Americans. It was here where King made his historic “I Have a Dream” speech which called for an end to racism. The march was crucial in helping to pass the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
2. Montgomery Bus Boycott
On the same day that Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person, King led the boycott on the Montgomery, Ala., bus system. The boycott, which lasted over a year, was a political and social protest against racial segregation. It eventually led to a Supreme Court ruling that dubbed segregated buses unconstitutional. King was arrested for leading the protest, he underwent abuse and multiple threats, and his home was even bombed. But his determination for justice and equality never stopped him in his fight.
3. Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Dr. King served as the first president of the SCLC following the Montgomery Bus Boycott. King founded the African-American civil rights organization in order to support nonviolent protests for equality. The SCLC consisted of ministers and other church leaders in Atlanta. At first, its focus was exclusively on buses, but eventually expanded its goals to end all forms of segregation. Under King’s guidance, the SCLC peacefully organized mass protest campaigns, voter registration drives and fought for equality.
Fun Fact
1) His name was originally Michael, not Martin. His father was also Michael King, hence why Martin Luther King Jr. was originally named Michael King Jr. However, after a trip to Germany in 1931, Michael King Sr. changed his own name in homage to historic German theologian Martin Luther. Michael King Jr. was two years old at the time and King Sr. made the decision to change his son’s name to Martin Luther as well.