Martin Luther King, Jr, was an iconic activist, leader, and religious figure that is known worldwide for his work during the Civil Rights Era. He led millions of people in the fight to end racial discrimination by using nonviolent, peaceful tactics. On January 16, we celebrated and remembered the life of the impeccable Martin Luther King, Jr.

 King grew up in the segregated schools of Georgia and graduated from high school at the age of 15 years old. He attended Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University.  In 1954, he became the pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. This church served as the backbone of the Montgomery bus boycott, which was the first protest led by King. This boycott was successful in ending bus segregation and proved that the black community could unite and successfully end  racial discrimination.

 In 1957, he was elected the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization that formed to provide leadership for the booming Civil Rights Movement. With this organization, King travelled over 6 million miles and spoke over 2,500 times. He showed up and protested wherever injustice was prevalent. King is most famously known for his protest in Washington, DC, where he gave his “I Have A Dream” speech to over 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

 In November of 1962, months before King’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech was given, he gave a similar speech in Rocky Mount, NC. Dr. King used numerous expressions that later made their way into the “I Have A Dream” speech. Researchers say that this marked the first use of the “I have a dream” phrase.  

 On October 14, 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the human rights category. At the age of 35, this made King the youngest person ever to receive the prize.

 Today, we commemorate Dr. King by celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This day takes place every year on the third Monday in January, which is near King’s birthday on January 15. The campaign for a federal holiday began in 1968, after King’s assassination. The bill had passed through the House of Representatives with a count of 338 to 90. President Reagan first opposed the holiday with the concern of its cost, but later signed the holiday into law in 1983. The day was first observed in 1986. Some states were resistant in observing the holiday, by giving it other names or combining it with other holidays. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed by all 50 states in 2000. When asked why MLK day is important, junior Robin Petersen said, “Because it celebrates a man who is a great role model in how you should fight your battles.” Only 2 other American figures have national holidays: George Washington and Christopher Columbus.