Saturday, January 14, 2012

"The greatness of America is the right to protest for rights": Martin Luther King

Monday we celebrate the birthday of a great American, Martin Luthur King, born January 15, 1929.
Dr King was a Baptist minister, a leader in the civil rights movement, a student of nonviolence as taught by Mahatma Gandi.
In 1964 he became the youngest man ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize and he was posthumously awarded the Presidental Medal of Freeddom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.

He dedicated his life to the rights of the poor and downtrodden, a remarkable speeker, a remarkable man, a remarkable leader, and an excellent example for all of us to imitate.

On March 29, 1968 he went to Memphis, Tennessee in support of the Memphis Sanitation Strike.  He saw workers rights as a fundemental civil right.  On April 4 he was assassinated while leaving his hotel room.

On April 3nd he gave his last speach, "I've been to to mountaintop" in which he called for unity, economic actions, boycotts, nonviolence and challanged the United States to live up to it's ideals.


No comments: