Who Is Martin Luther King
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity,” stated Martin Luther King Jr., expressing the belief that has was shared by all the champions of the suppressed across the world. A kingpin in the upraise of the Negros (a word that is currently condemned) fighting for their basic human rights after being oppressed by the Whites for more than 3 centuries, Martin Luther King Jr. is an internationally respected leader of the masses.
The struggle for freedom, in all shapes and sizes, is all that makes up the history of the world. Numerous countries struggled to cast off imperial forces that had made slaves of the native men of resource-rich regions. Battles of phenomenal magnitude have been waged to stand up against suppression exercised on the basis of religion and race, and yet equality is far from being within reach of all the inhabitants of the planet.
Faith in Almighty and faith in oneself are the elements that are pre-requisites of achieving objectives, as a glance at Martin Luther’s life will tell you. And it is the lack of these aspects that is resulting is the expansion of hopelessness-engendered-acceptance of the reign of evil forces. Victory is never handed over on a silver platter – the patrons of the struggle must be prepared for extreme hardships, and must cling on to their beliefs so as to attain what is morally right.
Martin Luther King Life Story
Born into a family of pastors, Martin Luther King Jr. was a staunch believer in the word of the Christ, and it was the Bible that guided his formulation of his ideologies. King has ordained Baptist ministry at the age of 19, and he was able to attain quality education despite the segregation of Blacks and Whites restricting the avenues open to colored folks. His oceanic knowledge is evident in his speeches and the precious few letters he scripted, with his cultured mind expressing itself eloquently through words.
King’s entrance into active politics came with his participation in the bus boycotts that followed the arrest of Rosa Parks, the Black sexagenarian who refused to conform with the segregating norms of the then society. He was unexpectedly catapulted to the position of a leader, and he wore the coat of responsibility as though it was tailored for him. The non-violent ideals of Indian champion of national freedom struggle Mahatma Gandhi inspired him, and he devoted himself to the study of the ways of Gandhi.
Convinced that a non-violent approach to the securing of equality for Negros in America was the best plan of action, he communicated the idea of non-violence to his followers, and prepared the masses to retaliate to harshness with love. Martin Luther King’s journey was by no means an easy one as he faced opposition from within and without the Negro community. The Whites condemned peaceful protests conducted by Negros, labeling the actions as extreme and immoral. Friction was offered from within the Negro community as the older sections of the group had resigned themselves to their fate, and because certain Negros stood to benefit from the segregation.
Over the course of the struggle, King was sentenced to jail terms of varying lengths more than 20 times. King and other activists who had been jailed were meted out with inhumane treatment by police, bitten by police dogs when they staged peaceful sit-ins to bring about a dialogue with White authorities, and were denied food when in jail. White clergy men refused to acknowledge the truth of their plight and only whispered sweet nothing to Negros who sought their help, and King was also ridiculed by the Church. His faith in the Almighty would not be shaken, and he patiently explained the religious significance and relevance of his actions. The White political system was apathetic, and King was doled out broken promises and false assurances by the dozen.
All the same, Martin Luther King Jr. strove on, and succeeded in coercing the White government to desegregate schools, restaurants and stores, open employment avenues to Blacks and drop the charges filed against protestors. It is important to notice that King refused to sway from his insistence on non-violence even when Elijah Muhammad’s Muslim movement was allowing the subscribers of that school to violently vent their frustration, and he managed to keep his fellow Blacks from straying over to violence.
Where ever there was injustice, King surfaced to champion the cause of the deprived. He was not a rebel, but respected the law by fighting against all that was morally incorrect. It takes a brave heart to be squash ego and let love be the only emotion. Those who are unable to fight off the temptation of destructive venting of frustration and the letting loose of the animalistic bray for blood often label such men cowards and see them as a block to the achievement of their own fazed goals. And it is for similar reasons that Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot when he was standing in the balcony of Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, by a Black Muslim.
A Nobel Peace Prize recipient who utilized his prize money to advance civil right movements, Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of respectable values. Though he had a million reasons to take to arms against the political structure of USA, or turn his back to the Church because of its insensitivity to the plights of his people, King had such firm faith in God and in his ideals that nothing could nudge him to turn to violence.
Success in any endeavor comes only when you work for it. Temptations to stray from your path are encountered aplenty, and only the most disciplined minds can ward off temptations. To be a leader, it is essential that you fight for what you truly believe in. If Martin Luther King Jr. did not believe, heart and soul, that equality was divine justice, he would not have had the strength to forge ahead with his struggle.
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Life Story In Detail
Michael King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in rural Atlanta, Georgia. His father and grandfather were ministers, serving as pastors of Ebenezer Baptist Church. King Jr. would follow his father's lead, including his adoption of the name Martin Luther in honor of the German Protestant religious leader.
Although Martin and his two siblings grew up in a strong family environment, King Sr. was very hard-handed, whipping his son regularly and so violently that neighbors reported hearing the beatings.
Nonetheless, his father's pride was a positive model for Martin as he witnessed his resistance to racial prejudice. In one incident, he and his father walked out of a shoe store when they were told to move to the back if they wanted to be served.
Martin entered public school in Atlanta, Georgia at age 5. Despite the difficulties he faced in the segregated system, he did extraordinarily well, skipping two grades at Booker T. Washington High School to start college when he was only 15.
As a schoolboy, Martin experienced the impact of segregation directly. When he was 6 years old, he made friends with a white boy whose father owned a business in their neighborhood. They went to different schools, but they played together until the boy's father found out and forbid their friendship.
King battled depression for the first half of his life, in part because of the trauma of "racial humiliation" in the segregated south. He had to overcome feelings of self-loathing and resentment toward white people for the way he, his family, and his community were treated. He recalls one conflict in particular: returning to Atlanta after a winning debate competition, King and his teacher were ordered to move to the back of the bus; King refused, but his teacher reminded him that he would be breaking the law if he didn't comply. He reports feeling "the angriest I have ever been in my life."
While Martin excelled in his college studies, earning a degree in sociology in 1948, then entering seminary school where he became valedictorian and student body president, he had trouble with personal relationships. He was dating a white woman, the daughter of a German cafeteria worker at this school, and wanted to marry her, but his family and friends warned him of the negative reactions he would face from whites and blacks alike. A friend claimed that Martin "never recovered" from the forced breakup.
The Hero’s Journey: From the Pulpit to the Protests
While working on his doctorate at Boston University, King got married, had four children, and served as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama. He still managed to complete his Ph.D. in 1955 at age 25.
That same year, King's involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and his response to Rosa Parks's arrest established his role as the leader of the mounting resistance to segregation laws.
In 1957, King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organize the movement for civil rights reform under the umbrella of the Church’s moral authority.
By the fall of 1963, King was so influential as a spokesperson for civil rights that the Kennedy Adminstration tapped his phone, citing suspicion of communists in the SCLC.
King was undaunted and continued to scale up the tactics of organized, nonviolent protests, with the aim of swaying public opinion through extensive media coverage of the everyday injustices suffered by southern blacks and the escalating violence inflicted by segregationists.
As he led marches for voting, labor, and basic civil rights, King came into legal trouble and was jailed several times. His impassioned call to action, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” comes from his 13th arrest (out of 29).
Despite warnings from the Kennedy Adminstration, King and fellow organizers went ahead with grandiose plans for the March on Washington of 1963. It was here, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, that Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous speech, telling the world urgently and for generations to come:
“I have a dream that my four little 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. I have a dream today!
King continued to inspire action, building up the momentum of the civil rights movement nationwide, until the day that he died. He was gunned down outside of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, where he was helping to organize a garbage collectors’ strike, on April 4, 1968. His influence caught fire in the race riots that erupted across the country as news of his death reached the nation’s cities.
Success Starts With the Basics
The story of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the fight for civil rights is about how the basics make all the difference in life. King had a dream and by the time he made that famous speech he had an audience, but he started by making small acts of resistance (like refusing to move to the back of the bus) into big statements of solidarity. Having a dream is a powerful thing, but for others to buy into your vision, you need to ignite others in both words and actions. It’s harder to accept things the way they are when you see the potential power in individual acts. King teaches us to hold each other accountable, especially our leaders, for the quality of our experience.
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Martin Luther King Biography
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 until his assassination in 1968. He was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. He was a leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement and a prominent advocate for nonviolence and civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.
King received his education at Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University. He was awarded a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University in 1955. He became a minister and was appointed as the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1954.
King was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, which aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. He played a key role in the American civil rights movement and is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president.
He was arrested and jailed numerous times for his activism, but he remained committed to nonviolence and civil disobedience. In 1963, he led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in the United States.
Sadly, King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. His death led to widespread riots in many U.S. cities. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986. He is widely considered as one of the most influential figures in American history and is remembered for his role in the Civil Rights Movement and for his famous speeches, including the "I Have a Dream" speech. He has become an iconic figure of the Civil Rights Movement and is remembered for his message of nonviolence, equality, and justice for all. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. His death led to widespread riots in many U.S. cities.
King was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, which aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. He played a key role in the American civil rights movement and is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president.
King's activism and leadership in the Civil Rights Movement helped to bring about significant changes in laws and societal attitudes towards race and discrimination. He was a key figure in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. His non-violent philosophy of civil disobedience inspired many people, including other Civil Rights activists and leaders.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in the United States. He is widely considered as one of the most influential figures in American history and continues to be an inspiration for civil rights and equality movements globally.
Martin Luther King Fast Facts
* Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
* He was a Baptist minister and civil rights activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 until his assassination in 1968.
* He received his education at Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in systematic theology in 1955.
* He became a minister and was appointed as the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1954.
* He was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, which aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans.
* He played a key role in the American civil rights movement and is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.
* He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president.
* He was arrested and jailed multiple times for his activism, but he remained committed to nonviolence and civil disobedience.
* He delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
* He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in the United States.
* He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. His death led to widespread riots in many U.S. cities.
* Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.
* He is widely considered as one of the most influential figures in American history and is remembered for his message of nonviolence, equality, and justice for all.
Martin Luther King Best Quotes
"I have a dream that my four little 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." (Meaning)
"We are not makers of history. We are made by history." (Meaning)
"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." (Meaning)
"The time is always right to do what is right." (Meaning)
"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." (Meaning)
"The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important." (Meaning)
"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." (Meaning)
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." (Meaning)
"Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better." (Meaning)
"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." (Meaning)
"If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." (Meaning)
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."
"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies."
"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." (Meaning)
"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." (Meaning)
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." (Meaning)
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
"I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good."
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." (Meaning)
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." (Meaning)
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" (Meaning)
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." (Meaning)
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal'."
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." (Meaning)
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."
"The end of violence or the absence of violence is not nonviolence. The end of violence is love. Nonviolence is the means. Love is the end."
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." (Meaning)
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." (Meaning)
"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." (Meaning)
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." (Meaning)
"Unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." (Meaning)
"He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." (Meaning)
"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." (Meaning)
"We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now." (Meaning)
"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men." (Meaning)
"That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing." (Meaning)
"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Meaning)
"A lie cannot live." (Meaning)
"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." (Meaning)
"A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true." (Meaning)
"Cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? But conscience asks the question, is it right?" (Meaning)
"There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love." (Meaning)
"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." (Meaning)
"Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness." (Meaning)
"We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear." (Meaning)
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
* The editor of this short biography made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any quotes, facts, or key life events. If you're looking to expand your personal development, I recommend exploring other people's life stories and gaining inspiration from my collection of inspiring quotes. Exposing yourself to different perspectives can broaden your worldview and help you with your personal growth.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
