Let's talk about Martin Luther King Jr.

I am a member of "The Let's Talk About Series" community. I'll be sharing notes from one of the sessions we had this year. The session was on Martin Luther King Jr.

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Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr., January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using the tactics of nonviolence and civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs and inspired by the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi.

King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first President. With the SCLC, King led an unsuccessful 1962 struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize the 1963 nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

On October 14, 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. In 1965, he helped to organize the Selma to Montgomery marches, and the following year he and SCLC took the movement north to Chicago to work on segregated housing. In the final years of his life, King expanded his focus to include opposition towards poverty and the Vietnam War, alienating many of his liberal allies with a 1967 speech titled "Beyond Vietnam".

Martin Luther King is known for his forever relevant speech held shortly before his assassination in 1968 "I have a dream". This speech though delivered over decades ago was birthed in 2007 when Barrack Obama became the first black President in America. His speech, "Yes we can" was built on Martin Luther King's speech. What a relevance.

In English Literature, Martin Lurther made a great impact in influencing the history of English to what we have today.

(Someone speaking) One of his quotes that I keep in mind always is this:

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

I have learnt a lot from this man and one of the major things I have learnt is that no matter how insignificant what you want to do for your country is, just voice it out and act towards it as well. It might just be what your race needs to be heard forever.

He had a dream and he kept on saying it,  "I have a dream". I imagine sometimes that people at that time might be thinking that he is insane but actually his dreams has come to reality and he is being celebrated all over the world.

We should give our dreams a trial to blossom. Say those dreams out and follow suit with actions. Be bold and start up something that will one day be discussed amongst generations.

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Martin Luther King Jr.