Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Today people all over the United States celebrate the life and legacy of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights leader who led the fight against racial segregation and discrimination, that permeated the United States in the early to mid 1990's.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929, Dr. King grew up in an environment where blacks and whites led totally separate lives - they ate at different restaurants, went to different schools and even had to sit in different areas in buses and trains.
The situation was even worse in places like Montgomery, Alabama, where Dr. King moved with his wife Coretta King, to serve as pastor of the local church in 1955. The issue finally came to a head in December that year, when a woman named Rosa Parks, refused to sit in the back section of a bus that was reserved for black people and was sent to jail as a result.
To bring justice to her, Dr. King initiated a movement to boycott all buses. The protest, which caught on throughout the nation, lasted an entire year. Finally, in 1956 the Supreme Court of the United States abolished the transportation segregation law.
However, Dr. King was not done yet - For the next ten years he went around the country encouraging people to fight against all kinds of segregation in a non-violent peaceful manner, by organizing sit-ins, boycotts and leading protest marches. His non-violent, yet effective measures earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
Over the years, Martin Luther King Jr. gave many inspiring speeches, his most famous one being 'I Have a Dream', whose most memorable line is 'I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character'.
Unfortunately, Dr. King was killed by an assassin, while on a trip to Memphis, Tennessee in 1968, and did not live long enough to see his dream come true.
Today, over 40 years after his death, we still honor this great man and his passion for equality, by celebrating his life on the third Monday of every January. This not only gives us time to reflect on his life and achievements, but also, makes us realize how far we have come as a nation.
In the video below, 4th-grade students from Watkins Elementary School in Washington D.C. , recite Dr. King's famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial. Have a great holiday and remember, no matter what your dream, it can come true, if you try hard enough!
sources: about.com, wikipedia.com. kaboose.com
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157 Comments
- marisela5about 16 yearsI liked the speech. I thought it was cool how each kid said a part of Dr. King's speech. It made me happy to hear the students sing.
- melany5about 16 yearsI like this because all people should be treated equally . Also that not be judged for the color of there skin . I think that Martin Luther King did make a big change to everybody and that Martin Luther King did deserve to win the Nobel peace prize.
- victoria 5about 16 yearsThat is true what Dr.Luther King Jr. said.All people shoud be equally treated. If only Dr.King was here now he would be very proud of the rights we have now. I am really sorry that he was assassinated by somewone who taught that by killing Dr.King he would be acheving something.
- haris5about 16 yearsThat was so nice how the children sang. Well its all for M.L.K. He is the man that fought for black and whites go to school together. He is the man that won THE NOBLE PEACE PRIZE in 1964.
- christina5about 16 yearsThat was so cute. I think that that really touched peoples heart I can't believe that somebody would actually shoot him.I wonder what he would say if today he didn't die.I think people will remember him until the world ends.
- Rachel5about 16 yearsI think that his dream changed America in so mant ways. It is sad that he was killed because he was fighting for what he believed in. It was so cool that that school took that much time to remember him. I think that all schools should do that.
- Nicholas5about 16 yearsMartin Luther King Jr. was a great man. Those kids are really good at reciting his speech. His speech changed America.
- julia5about 16 yearsI'm glad that most kids love this holiday about martin luther king j.r. my favorite line is from him is "hate can not drive hate out only love can do that." martin luther king made a big difference to our country.
- wowabout 16 yearswow
- andrewabout 16 yearsDr. king is awsome!