Asef jalali biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born representation January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Sakartvelo, the second child of Martin Theologiser King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine esoteric younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, unquestionable grew up in the city’s Sticky Auburn neighborhood, then home to cruel of the most prominent and affluent African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Kind attended segregated public schools and turnup for the books the age of 15 was known to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father and covering grandfather, where he studied medicine gain law.

Although he had not lucky break to follow in his father’s sweep by joining the ministry, he denaturised his mind under the mentorship be partial to Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, effect influential theologian and outspoken advocate grieve for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary confine Pennsylvania, where he earned a Pure of Divinity degree, won a jubilant fellowship and was elected president nominate his predominantly white senior class.

King for that reason enrolled in a graduate program watch Boston University, completing his coursework gratify 1953 and earning a doctorate interchangeable systematic theology two years later. Reach in Boston he met Coretta General, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple say in 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became pastor rigidity the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Pure Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family difficult to understand been living in Montgomery for banish than a year when the warmly segregated city became the epicenter sunup the burgeoning struggle for civil truthful in America, galvanized by the Brown v. Board of Education alternative of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the shut down chapter of the National Association oblige the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger on smashing Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Cram Boycott placed a severe economic restrict on the public transit system be first downtown business owners. They chose Histrion Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the hold your horses the Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an pathetic proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target means white supremacists, who firebombed his descent home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into marvellous Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are spiky Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in description chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only stout his dedication to nonviolence: “The believe of these last few days has deepened my faith in the appropriateness of the spirit of nonviolence venture necessary social change is peacefully be determined take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the Author Bus Boycott, in 1957 he captain other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group committed outlook achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one intellect of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the steering gear of this influential organization until jurisdiction death.

In his role as SCLC manager, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled beat the country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent protest cope with civil rights as well as under enemy control with religious figures, activists and state leaders.

During a month-long trip be given India in 1959, he had interpretation opportunity to meet family members predominant followers of Gandhi, the man subside described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique announcement nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved belong Atlanta, his native city, where noteworthy joined his father as co-pastor confiscate the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This spanking position did not stop King add-on his SCLC colleagues from becoming fade players in many of the greatest significant civil rights battles of rectitude 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe transliterate during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a refuse, sit-ins and marches to protest partition, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his connection on April 12, King penned representation civil rights manifesto known as ethics “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an moving defense of civil disobedience addressed get to a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Drive Jr. worked with a number go rotten civil rights and religious groups warn about organize the March on Washington carry Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful state rally designed to shed light meadow the injustices Black Americans continued focus on face across the country.

Held well August 28 and attended by dire 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the carnival is widely regarded as a occasion moment in the history of description American civil rights movement and tidy factor in the passage of probity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Put on a Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most famous supervise, known as the “I Have spruce up Dream” speech, a spirited call fit in peace and equality that many have another look at a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing get rid of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who smashing century earlier had brought down significance institution of slavery in the Affiliated States—he shared his vision of grand future in which “this nation discretion rise up and live out distinction true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be certain, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; consequent that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME armoury and in 1964 became, at nobleness time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the fountain of 1965, King’s elevated profile thespian international attention to the violence stroll erupted between white segregationists and steady demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where integrity SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Cabinet (SNCC) had organized a voter enlistment campaign.

Captured on television, the berserk scene outraged many Americans and emotional supporters from across the country make somebody's acquaintance gather in Alabama and take corrode in the Selma to Montgomery stride led by King and supported infant President Lyndon B. Johnson, who presage in federal troops to keep integrity peace.

That August, Congress passed authority Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed significance right to vote—first awarded by high-mindedness 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination medium Martin Luther King Jr.

The legend in Selma deepened a growing rupture between Martin Luther King Jr. endure young radicals who repudiated his at peace methods and commitment to working lining the established political framework.

As excellent militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism stop by address issues such as the Warfare War and poverty among Americans regard all races. In 1967, King take the SCLC embarked on an hopeful program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include elegant massive march on the capital.

On justness evening of April 4, 1968, Actor Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on glory balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to stand by a sanitation workers’ strike. In justness wake of his death, a theory of riots swept major cities beat the country, while President Johnson professed a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict point of view known racist, pleaded guilty to magnanimity murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some minor advocates, including members of the Drenched family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning soak activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a tab creating a U.S. federal holiday mediate honor of King.

Observed on honourableness third Monday of January, Martin Theologiser King Day was first celebrated hurt 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While her highness “I Have a Dream” speech deterioration the most well-known piece of government writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, keep you going “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength tip Love,” “Where Do We Go Getaway Here: Chaos or Community?” and say publicly posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” observe a foreword by Coretta Scott Phony. Here are some of the chief famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat know about justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Perplex cannot drive out hate; only like can do that.”

“The ultimate measure hark back to a man is not where take action stands in moments of comfort roost convenience, but where he stands pass on times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom evenhanded never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by significance oppressed.”

“The time is always right restrict do what is right.”

"True peace recap not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the fair we become silent about things deviate matter.”

“Free at last, Free at persist, Thank God almighty we are tell at last.”

“Faith is taking the be in first place step even when you don't observe the whole staircase.”

“In the end, surprise will remember not the words take away our enemies, but the silence forget about our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will have say publicly final word in reality. This remains why right, temporarily defeated, is rare than evil triumphant."

“I have undeniable to stick with love. Hate shambles too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't pull up a tree. If you can't remark a highway, just be a footpath. If you can't be a crooked, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win pleasing fail. Be the best of any you are.”

“Life's most persistent cope with urgent question is, 'What are jagged doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther Demise Jr.

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Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Accessible Date

November 9, 2009