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America Celebrates Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Day
Jan
Americans across the country marked the National Holiday to commemorate Martin Luther King day -the assassinated civil rights leader. This article by Mazeshirt will help you understand more about this great American pastor
Pastor King first gained attention in 1955 when he successfully led a boycott of public buses in the southern city of Montgomery, Alabama, forcing the city to end segregation against dealing with black passengers. He became a significant figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, inspiring millions of people through his famous speech “I have a Dream”, I have a Dream, read in his life. 1963 march in Washington, D.C.
Reverend King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, the same year President Lyndon Johnson signed a historic civil rights bill into law.
Reverend King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, when he came to the city to support a strike by black garbage truck workers, campaigning for equal pay. Other workers do the same.
When was Martin Luther King day established?
Martin Luther King day was established in 1983 when President Ronald Reagan signed a law designating the 3rd Monday in January each year as a day in honor of Reverend King because his birthday falls on the 15th. January 1929. In 1994, the United States Congress designated Pastor martin Luther king Day as a nationwide day of service, a move to encourage Americans to participate in community projects.
‘I have a dream – words from the heart of Martin Luther King
On August 28, 1963, in front of more than 250,000 people, Pastor Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
Martin was known as an eloquent and influential person in the black community. That’s why civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph contacted Martin, along with many other prominent figures, to organize the March on Washington event for jobs and freedom, on the day of August 28, 1963.
The phrase “I have a dream” has been omitted as it has been a theme throughout previous speeches. Martin spoke of the “dream” in April 1963, at a church meeting about “seeing black boys and girls walking to school with white boys and girls, together play in the park and go swimming.” He continued that dream at a speech in Detroit in June 1963, hoping that “black people could buy or rent a house anywhere with the money they had and they would be able to get a job.”.
Therefore, all agreed to cut this sentence. One advisor even strongly countered: “Don’t use statements like ‘I have a dream.’ It’s cliché. You’ve used it too many times.” With many opinions, finally, at 4 am, Martin Luther King greeted everyone to their rooms to go to bed.
On August 28, despite the heat in the capital, people flocked to the square, where many celebrities appeared. “It was amazing. It far exceeded our estimates. The number of participants had to be at least 250,000. And even now we didn’t know what Martin was going to say,” Jones said.
By the time the pastor spoke, the crowd had relaxed from the heat and stuffiness. In the same way Lincoln began with the now-temporal statement “Four score and seven years ago,” Martin Luther King also invoked “Five score years ago” and emphasized the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation. “But a hundred years later, the Negroes are still not free,” he said, before describing the state of African-American life in America.
Then he turned to the purpose of the march. Martin’s words were powerful but not as powerful as he expected. Suddenly he stopped for a moment. At that moment, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson stood more than four meters from the podium, shouting: “Tell them about the dream, Martin.”
Speaks aside, the 34-year-old pastor said: “I still have a dream. It’s a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
“I dream that one day our country will rise and indeed exist with faith: “We take this truth for granted: that all human beings are created equal.
I dream that one day, in the red hills of Georgia, the children of slaves and the children of slave owners will sit together as brothers.
I dream that one day, even arid lands suffocated by injustice and oppression, like Mississippi, will transform into oases of freedom and justice.
I dream that one day my four children will live in a country where they are not judged by the color of their skin, but by their dignity.
Today I have a dream…”.
From here, he comes to a dramatic end, ringing bells from one end of the country to the other.
At the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King day, former president Barack Obama cited himself as a testament to the progress racial equality has made. However, he said the path to realizing his dream was to make it a reality. Pastor Luther King is still long. “No one can match King’s brilliance, but the same fire that lights the hearts of all who are willing to fight for justice, I know that flame still lives,” he said.
“More than half a century later, Martin Luther King’s speech is still mentioned every day, as it is delivered in schools, printed in college textbooks, featured in documentaries, and even quoted in the music of Michael Jackson and rapper Common”, the New York Times commented.
You can read more at >> Martin Luther King Day – 16 January .
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Conclusion
Today, the ideas of Martin Luther King are preserved and continue to inspire generations to advocate for social justice and equal rights for all, regardless of color or social class. Martin Luther King Day is slowly becoming one of America’s biggest holidays.
