Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. ranks among the greatest civil right activists of all the time. He was born on the 15th of January 1929 in Atlanta Georgia. He belonged to a line of pastors as his grandfather was a pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta from 1914 to 1931. His father followed the same footsteps and was a pastor at the same church.

Martin Luther king attended the segregated public schools in Georgia. He graduated from high school at the age of 15.  He later obtained a B.A. degree from the more house College in 1948. Later he spent 3yrs at the Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. Martin Luther later began graduate studies at the Boston University where he later received his PhD in 1955. It was here that he met Coretta Scott whom he married.

Martin Luther King Jr. is about the most accomplished civil right leaders. His legacy stretches across all races. He became famous for the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 and in 1957 he helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Perhaps what really made Luther King an icon for all generations was the Washington March of 1963 were he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Luther King’s non violent approach to tackling civil rights issues grabbed the attention of all and this makes him still relevant in today’s harsh world. Hence, in 1964 at the age of 35, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Price thus making him the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize money ($54,123) was given by Luther King to the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated on the 4th ofApril,1968 on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis Tennessee. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his death in 1977. In the year 2004, He was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.