Dr. Martin Luther King Day

Today is MLK day, it celebrates the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His birthday is actually January 15th, 1929. It is observed every third Monday of January. It is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.

Dr. King is known for was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. King's nonviolent doctrine was strongly influenced by the teachings of Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi. In 1964, King became the first black American to be honored as Time magazine's Man of the Year. His efforts were not limited to securing civil rights; he also spoke out against poverty and the Vietnam War.

Other milestones:

1954 Selected as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama

1955 Received his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University

1955-1956 Led a successful effort to desegregate Montgomery, Alabama, buses

1957 Helped found and served as the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

1958 Published Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story

1963 Wrote 'Letter from Birmingham Jail,' arguing that it was his moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws

1963 Delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech to civil rights marchers at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

1964 Won the Nobel Peace Prize

1965 Organized a mass march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, that created national support for federal voting-rights legislation

1968 Was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee

The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began shortly after his assassination on April 4, 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

It has been 45 years since King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and gave his "I Have A Dream" speech. More than 200,000 people were present. This speech has been said to have inspired a generation and changed the course of history. Dr. King's words raised the nation's awareness of the civil rights movement and helped him become the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Before his life was cut short the United States government passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Dr. King gave speeches and wrote letters that were and continue to be, powerful. Here are some quotes:

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."

Wall Street Journal quote November 13, 1962.

"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
Speech in Detroit, Michigan on June 23, 1963.

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approachin gspiritual death."

"Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love."

"Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten....America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness--justice."

All 3 quotes above are from the speech: Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? 1967

I watched several specials about Dr. King today. I am going to leave you with two questions I have heard several times.

"Is his dream alive?" "How will you keep his dream alive?"