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King, Martin L. 1929 - 1968 (39)

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.


QUOTES

I HAVE A DREAM




Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American politician and civil rights fighter, leader for self African-Americans in the war against racism and racial discrimination. Born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, was the middle child of Pastor Michael King. He grew up with his two brothers in a safe environment of love and warmth, knowing early about racism in society. His father was fighting racial prejudices not only because the tribe suffered from them, but because he believed that racism was an offense against God, who created all men equal. The young Martin was raised with ideas of equality. At school he had excellent performance, passing two classes in one year and at 15 he was admitted to Morehouse College in Atlanta. He was a very popular student with many conquests and at that time he openly questioned religion, something that brought him into conflict with his deeply religious father. The conflict became greater when he had an affair with a white woman; he finally broke her up under his family pressure. In 1948 he took his degree in Sociology and wanted to pursue legal or medical studies, but his father persuaded him to become a clergyman. He studied for three years and at age 19, he was named Baptist pastor. He continued doing doctoral studies and Theology at Boston University, where he met musician and singer Coretta Scott with whom they married in 1953; they had 4 children. On October 31, 1954, with mediation of his father, he became vicar of Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. On December 1, 1955 the 42 years old Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a young white passenger and she was arrested for breaking the law. The night of her arrest, the pioneers of civil rights of tinted, including Martin Luther King, decided to boycott the public transport of the city as hitherto the company required colored passengers to give their seats to whites and they stand up or sit at the back of the bus. Because of extreme rhetoric of showmanship and special education, the King authorized to lead the resistance operation. In the first speech as leader of his group boycott, said: "We have no alternative but to complain. For many years we have shown an amazing patience. "The boycott by black people do not go into buses lasted 382 days, in a climate of intimidation and violence against the African American community. The house of the King was attacked, arrested many times, eventually the separation policy of the city's public transport negated.

Encouraged by the victory, the leaders of the African American political movement founded a national organization, the "Christian Leadership Conference of the States of the South" to pursue a peaceful marches and non-violent protests the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The King was head of the organization and began touring across the country field starting reasons for the rights of African Americans. He met with President Eisenhower, traveled to India invited by Nehru, met with leaders of other countries. In 1960 he was appointed pastor in Atlanta, in the same church with his father and met with John Kennedy talking about the civil rights of blacks. These years arrested him often enough in the various demonstrations that took place while in Harlem had become and attempt on the life of the knife. In 1963 he organized in Birmingham Alabama another peaceful demonstration which the white police faced with dogs, fire pumps and overt violence, sparking a degraded mode. This was followed by massive protests that culminated in a march of 250,000 people to Washington. It was then that King delivered his famous speech "I Have a Dream". To1964 Congress adopted the Law on Political Rights to which racial discrimination is prohibited in public places and in the same year King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. In 1965 he was jailed for organizing a demonstration in Selma, Alabama in which the voting rights of tinted asked the same year there were many areas of tension and police clashes with protesters result several victims from the side of the protesters. The King spoke against and the Vietnam War calling America as the greatest promoter of violence in the world which turned against him many Americans and most of the media. The head of the FBI got permission to follow him with bed bugs to prove that is Communist. Eventually they just discovered were some extramarital adventures, sent the evidence to wife trying to harm him in any way. On April 4, 1968, while he was on the balcony of a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee with his associates, was shot by a man who confessed to the murder and sentenced a year later.