Library of congress Photo
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights leader during the 1960s, campaigned for equal rights.
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MLK Jr.: The Man Behind the civil rights movement
“A genuine leader is not a searcher of consensus but a molder of consensus.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination. He was a man who sought that all men be judged by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin.
King was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, to Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. The King and Williams Families were rooted in rural Georgia. The younger King’s grandfather, A.D. Williams, was a rural minister for years and then moved to Atlanta in 1893, where he took over the small, struggling Ebenezer Baptist Church with around 13 members and made it into a forceful congregation.
Michael King Sr. stepped in as a pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church upon the death of his father-in-law, A.D. Williams, in 1931. He too became a very successful minister and adopted the name Martin Luther King Sr. in honor of the German Protestant religious leader Martin Luther. In due time, the younger King, would follow his dad’s lead and adopt the name himself.
The younger King was an excellent student in school who enjoyed reading books, singing, riding a bicycle, playing football and baseball. Growing up in Atlanta, he attended Booker T. Washington High School and skipped grades in elementary school as well as both the ninth and the twelfth grades. He entered Morehouse College in Atlanta when he was only 15 years old and with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Penn., from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951.
Throughout his career of service, the younger King wrote and spoke frequently, drawing on his experience as a preacher. His “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” written in 1963, is a “passionate” statement of his crusade for justice. His “I Have a Dream” speech is a 17-minute public address delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination. King became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to him on Oct. 14, 1964 for leading non-violent resistance to racial prejudice in the United States.
King addressed a rally and delivered his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” address at Mason Temple, the world headquarters of the Church of God in Christ April 3, 1968. King’s flight to Memphis, Tenn., had been delayed by a bomb threat against his plane. In the closing of the last speech of his career, he referenced the bomb threat.
“And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,” King said.
The civil rights leader was assassinated at 6:01 p.m., April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.
King spoke earlier about what people should remember him for if they are around for his funeral. He said rather than his awards and where he went to school, people should talk about how he fought peacefully for justice:
“I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”
Part of this speech is engraved on the national Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial which opened Oct. 16, 2011, and is located on the National Mall. Visit www.mlkmemorial.org for more information.