· He was an American Baptist minister who became a civil-rights leader from 1955 to 1968.

· He advocated for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other civil rights for people of color in the United States of America.

 

 

· Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael Luther King Jr. but changed his name to Martin.

· He was born on January 15th, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia; and died on April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. 

· His father was Martin Luther King Sr. He was an African American Baptist pastor, missionary, and advocate for Civil Rights Movement.

· His mother was Alberta Christine Williams King. She was the director and organizer at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

· MLK Jr.'s older sister was Willie Christine King Farris, and his youngest brother was Alfred Daniel Williams King.

 

· MLK Jr, studied Medicine and Law at Morehead College. He also attended Crozer Theological Seminary and Boston University.

· He married Coretta Scott in 1953, in Alabama.

· MLK Jr.'s children were Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King, and Bernice Albertine King.

· MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott moved to Atlanta in 1959, to serve the Ebenezer Baptist Church and expand the Civil Rights Movement.

 

 

· Due to the corrupt and systematic racism he endured and witnessed throughout his life. King decided to become an activist in the civil rights movement and became the leader of the bus boycotting protest that lasted 382 days.

· MLK Jr. was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of nonviolence resilience. MLK Jr. developed a passion for fighting for his beliefs in nonviolent protests.

· In 1956, King was arrested, abused, his house was bombed, but he still maintained the leader of the movement.

· In 1957, he became the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. They focused on peaceful protests.

· MLK Jr. led a massive protest in Birmingham Alabama, which inspired his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

· In 1964, at the age of 35. MLK Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize. Along with $54,123 that he used for the civil rights movement.

· On April 4th, 1968, MLK Jr. was standing on the balcony of a motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was shot dead by James Earl Ray.

 

· The 3rd Monday in January, the U.S honors Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is a day to reflect on ways we can all come together to better our community and recognize the sacrifices made to achieve freedom and equality.

· On December 1^st, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested because she refused to give up her seat on a city bus.

· In 1963, the Birmingham Campaign occurred, and King Jr. was imprisoned during the protest.

· On August 28^th, 1963, the black community marched in Washington D.C, where MLK Jr. presented his “I Have a Dream” speech.

· On March 7^th, 1965, peaceful protesters were at the Alabama State Capital, while state troopers were beating and harming them. That day became known as Bloody Sunday.