Happening every year on the third Monday of January, yesterday kids were out of school, and many business were closed but there is so much more to Martin Luther King Jr. Day than that. Why do we celebrate MLK Day?
History of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second child of Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King.
At the age of 15, Martin Luther King Jr. attended segregated public schools and was admitted to Morehouse College where his father and grandfather studied law and medicine.
Martin Luther King Sr. was a pastor, and Martin Luther King Jr. was not planning on following in his father’s footsteps until his mentorship with Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays. Dr. Benjamin Mays was “an influential theologian and outspoken advocate for racial equality.”
After graduating with a Bachelors of Divinity degree, Martin Luther King Jr. enrolled in the graduate program at Boston University where he met Coretta Scott. “They were wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Alabama, were King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
“The King Jr. family had been living in Montgomery, Alabama for less than a year when the highly segregated city became the epicenter of the burgeoning struggle for civil rights in America.”
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus and was arrested. A bus boycott was started and continued for 381 days.
“The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed a severe economic strain on the public transit system and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.
By the time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an inspirational proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.”
Persecution
During this time and throughout the rest of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. would have a target placed on him for standing up for other people and what he believed in.
“On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has deepened my faith in the relevance of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change is peacefully to take place.””
Also Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in his involvement in the Birmingham campaign of 1963.
“I Have A Dream”
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech had taken place during the March on Washington, which was held on August 28, 1963. 200,000 to 300,000 people joined in on the March on Washington.
“Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who a century earlier had brought down the institution of slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a future in which “this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’””
Up until his death, Martin Luther King Jr. continued to support and participate in marches to change the world.
“On the evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on the balcony of a motel in Memphis, where King had traveled to support a sanitation workers’ strike. In the wake of his death, a wave of riots swept major cities across the county, while President Johnson declared a national day of mourning.”
Why Do We Celebrate MLK Day?
The third Monday in January is not just about the time out of school, the time off of work, or the sales going on that day. We celebrate MLK Day to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. “It is important to celebrate the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and find ways to apply his teachings into our everyday lives and the lives of our children… The national holiday that remembers him is a time to learn about history and reflect on some valuable messages that are still meaningful today.”
Famous Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
“Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
“The time is always right to do what is right”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Hopefully, yesterday was a great day of remembrance for you and your family.