Today Is Martin Luther King Day And His Message Is Still Important

Today is Martin Luther King Day in the USA. The day they remember the life of the civil rights campaigner and Baptist minister who gave his life for the cause of racial equality when he was assassinated in 1968 by James Earl Ray.

Martin Luther King Jr. employed non-violent protest tactics as well as civil disobedience to fight against discrimination and racial segregation in the United States of America.

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He is best remembered worldwide for his speech that has come to be known as 'I have a dream', in which he set out his vision for a country and a world without racial prejudices and where all men are equal.

The day comes during a period of heightened tensions in the US as well as around the globe, so it seems especially important to remember the life of Martin Luther King Jr. today.

As a Baptist pastor he saw it as his duty to act for his congregation and became involved with the struggle for equal rights in 1955 when he led the Montgomery bus boycott after Rosa Parks had refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white person.

He then led significant protests in southern America in cities such as Birmingham, Alabama (where he gave his famous speech) and in Albany, Georgia.

For his work towards equality and for his non-violent resistance he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

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He tirelessly campaigned for the poor as well as those discriminated against, and his most famous words are still relevant today in both the USA and pretty much everywhere in the world:

"I have a dream that one day 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.

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character."

Topics: Interesting, US News

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a freelance journalist and LADbible contributor. He graduated from University of London with a BA in Philosophy before studying for a Masters in Journalism at the University of Salford. He has previously written for the M.E.N Group as well as working for several top professional sports clubs. Contact him on [email protected]

@TPWagwim