Social Issue- Racism
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. He had 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.'" He believed that what is inside a person should affect how someone views you, not the outside. And he said that your color should not determine your rights to citizenship or certain things.
Michael Luther King Jr. (who later had his name changed to Martin), was born January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, GA. He completed high school, college, and graduate school and eventually followed in his grandfather and father’s footsteps by becoming a pastor. He was the pastor Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He met his wife, Coretta Scott, while in graduate school in Boston. They had two children together. Racism in this time was a huge social issue, and because of this MLK was an active civil rights leader and was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In this organization he took part of a bus boycott that lasted almost 400 days. During this boycott King was arrested, he suffered physical abuse, and his home was bombed. However, the boycott was successful because segregation in busses became illegal.
During the time period of 1957-1968, MLK traveled over 6 million miles to different places where there was segregation and protests, giving his many memorable speeches. After giving over 2500 speeches, writing 5 books, and many articles, he began to catch the attention of many Americans. He is most famous for directing the march on Washington D.C. and delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech to over 250,000 people. Due to his strong protests he was arrested almost 20 times and assaulted 4 times. But was also awarded 5 honorary degrees, was the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35, and was named Man of the Year by Time Magazine in 1963. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 on his balcony right before leading a protest march.
Although he died young, his legacy did not die with him. He
was a brave and influential man who made a lasting impact on the world and the
thought of racism. He was a leader and still continues to lead. He is not only
a symbolic leader of American Blacks, but he is also a world figure. Martin Luther
King Jr. and his dream will never be forgotten.
I think that using MLK Jr. was a great choice, and you did a great job talking about the good that he did for the world. Racism was (and still is) a big issue in American society, but what he did made this a much better place, even though it still has its flaws. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI really like MLK Jr. as a choice. He represents a really big social issue that is extremely clear. He would be a fantastic choice for the final project. I also like how you wrote about him. I've read so many things about MLK Jr. and learned so much about him that you'd think I knew him in person,but the way you wrote yours made me still want to read about him. Good Job!
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