Martin Luther King, Biography Of A Human Rights Defender
Martin Luther King was a true hero, with all the qualities that came with it. He was the flesh of those characters who only appear once a century and represent the best of human beings. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of the United States and the world in general.
The greatest merit of this Baptist pastor is associated with achieving historic progress in the recognition of civil rights and slowing racial discrimination in his country. The approach he used to achieve his ends is all the more remarkable. Indeed, he made all of this progress using non-violent methods and relying only on his intelligence, charisma and leadership skills.
Martin Luther King is one of the historical figures who has shown the greatest congruence between his ideas and his actions. More than a political leader, he was a true spiritual guide. These deep religious beliefs animated him even more than his conviction for the importance of civil rights. For this reason, ethics and activism formed one and the same reality for him.
Martin Luther King, a brilliant youngster
Martin Luther King was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, USA. Her father was a Baptist pastor and her mother was a church organist. He had a big brother and a little sister. His paternal grandfather had also been a pastor. He too became one, until his death.
When he was 6 years old, 2 of his white-skinned friends told him that their parents had forbidden them to play with him because he was black.
King studied in public schools and did well there. His good performances allowed him to skip 2 classes in high school. He therefore entered university at the age of 15.
He obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the age of 25 from Boston University. Shortly before that, he married Coretta Scott, with whom he had 4 children. After completing his studies, he was appointed pastor of the Baptist Church in the town of Montgomery, Alabama. It was there that his legend began.
A seasoned activist
The episode that marked a before and after in the life of Martin Luther King took place in 1955. At that time, there was evident hostility against blacks in Alabama. That year, an event changed the history of the United States and of course that of King. A woman called Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on the bus.
Martin Luther King then initiated a movement to boycott the city’s buses. The protest continued even for more than a year. Blacks refused to take the buses and some even had to travel up to 30 kilometers every day to go to work. It all came to an end when the Supreme Court declared discrimination on Montgomery buses illegal.
From that date, King continued to lead peaceful protest movements aimed at the recognition of civil rights and the elimination of racial discrimination. In 1963, he led a march to Washington where he gave his famous I have a dream speech . In it, he expressed his desire to live in an egalitarian world.
A life cut off prematurely
Although he was radical in the use of non-violent methods, Martin Luther King was the object of violence and numerous repressions. He was arrested a total of 20 times. Almost all the time, he was offered to pay a bond in exchange for his freedom, but he refused. His home has been attacked several times, and the FBI has infiltrated personnel in order to continually follow him in his activities.
It is said that between 1957 and 1968, marches took place that totaled thousands of kilometers. During this period he gave 2,500 political speeches. I have a dream , his most iconic speech, has not been prepared. He improvised it in front of the very large audience that surrounded him.
At 35, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. He is still to this day the youngest individual to have received this prestigious decoration. Four years later, on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was shot and killed while on the balcony of a Motel. The perpetrators, as well as the motives for this crime, are still the subject of controversy today.
Our thoughts These historical figures learned to live with depression and to change the world through their words or actions.
