It’s been 53 years since United States met one of its most historical and important moments. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. lead the March on Washington and delivered the well-know “I Have a Dream” speech. 87. That’s how old MLK, Jr. would have turned on January 15, 2016.
When I learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. in elementary school, I always assumed his legacy came solely from his speech. I believed segregation stopped because of his “I Have a Dream” speech only. My 10-year-old self was very wrong. MLK, Jr. may be most famous for his speech, but he contributed so much more to the civil rights movement.
Because of both his race and consistent need to fight segregation, police jailed King 29 times. King organized boycotts, like the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. He also led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) as their president. These are just a few prominent things he did for the civil rights movement.
King inspired many to take a stand and is still admired for bringing racial equality to our country. If only he were alive to witness the first (but certainly not last) African American President. King is the only person other than George Washington to have a national holiday celebrating his birthday on January 15, 1926. MLK, Jr. Day is on the third Monday of January, which is January 18th this year.
Though King did amazing work with other civil rights activists to bring justice to our country, racism is still around. As proven by recent events at Mizzou and last year Ferguson, there’s a still fight to be fought. We can continue honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. by keeping his fight alive and ending racism once and for all.
Students at Mizzou
Ferguson Riots
March on Washington