Inspiration
Share This Inspiring Story of Martin Luther King Jr. With Kids
On the Death Aniversary of Martin Luther King Jr., ScooNews decided to share his story that can be read to kids and make them aware of the legendary Civil Rights leader.
On the death anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4), we've decided to bring you his story for a short read.
The history of coloured people in the United States is one of injustice, discrimination, and exploitation that has made us question the very philosophy of human values. History has proven time and again that when justice is denied, rebels are born to restore the balance to civilization.
Rebellions are often violent with the philosophy of overthrowing the exploitative class through physical strength but Martin Luther King Jr. was the symbol of passive resistance in the Civil Rights Movement for securing the Constitutional Rights of coloured people in the USA.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in a family of baptists pastors on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. As a child, he attended segregated public schools in the city and later obtained a B.A degree from Morehouse College. He also studied Theology at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and was awarded a B.D in 1951 and then went on to obtain his doctorate in 1955 from the Boston University.
King began his career as a pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was an advocate for the Civil Rights of the coloured people and was also a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
He took the leadership of the first Negro nonviolent demonstration of the United States known as the 'Bus Boycott.' The movement compelled the Supreme Court of the United States to declare the segregation laws in public transport unconstitutional on 21st December 1956.
He was deeply inspired by the non-violent methods of Mahatma Gandhi and embedded the superiority of soul force over the physical one among his followers. He was selected as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1951. This organization was established with the vision to provide new leadership for the Civil Rights Movement. King adapted the ideals of Christianity along with Gandhi’s techniques of resistance for the working of the organization.
Between 1957 and 1968, King travelled six million miles throughout the United States giving speeches and helping people to secure justice in local issues. In the same period, he led the massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama.
King was arrested in Birmingham and during his time in jail, he composed the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” – a manifesto for the revolution.
His next movement was planned for the city of Washington D.C, where he led 250000 people and delivered his famous speech “I Have a Dream."
These two movements made him a globally-known leader and at the age of 35, he became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Times Magazine named him the ‘Man of the Year’ in 1963. His bravery and will made him the symbol of Black Resistance in the United States and invited the enmity of many. On April 4, 1968, he was standing at the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was assassinated. He was there to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city.