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Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King played a significant role in ensuring that African Americans were treated equally. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. He was the middle child of Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. He had an older sister known as Willie and a younger brother called Alfred. Their father was the strictest disciplinarian while their mother had a gentler hand. The two characters, therefore, evened each other out. Every parent wants to make sure that they protect their children from any harm and evil that exists in the world and King’s parents were no different. It was, however, impossible to ignore the wave of slavery that was sweeping across the United States at the time.
Martin Luther King was an influential church minister. Among his many responsibilities as a church minister was the fact that he was the leader of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (Garrow 15). In his capacity as the leader of the conference, they collaborated with many other religious organizations from across the country. One of these organizations called upon him for help concerning the grave matter of racism that had plagued their town. This led to Dr. King penning one of his most famous works, ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ when he was arrested for taking part in the protest against racism (Reddick 23).
Dr. King and his co0mpatriots were concerned at the legal segregation of African Americans. I the shops, they had different sections that were reserved for them. Even their children could not go to the amusement parks as they were reserved for the white people. This led to the young black children developing an inferiority complex quite early in life. To address this, Dr. King and those with him organized peaceful protests.
Many people criticized the peaceful march including the leaders of the church who claimed that the black people were in too much of a hurry to gain freedom. These things took time. Dr. King equated their indifference to complicity in the issue of racism. The most unfortunate part was that the segregation of African Americans was legal. This was even though the constitution claimed to advocate for the freedom and equality of all Americans. The matter of police brutality came up during the protest as well.
Dr. King’s crusade against racism bore fruit as African Americans finally got equal rights including the right to vote in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Dr. King was hover assassinated in April 1968, but his inspiration and strong belief live on in the hearts of many. His story was not just about race. It is about the courage to speak up even when others remain silent when there are more powerful forces than you at work.
Everyone should know about Dr. King’s work because he was a great believer in his convictions and stood up for them. He stood up for what he knew what the right thing and when others called to him for help, he took heed and aided them in their quest (Shamir 35). Equality does not just come about because the constitution says that it should be so. In everyday life, we must still fight for the rights especially of those who are weak, oppressed or those who cannot speak for themselves. History will remember us and judge us for either our action or inaction.
Works Cited
Garrow, David J. Bearing the cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the southern Christian leadership conference. Open Road Media, 2015.
Reddick, Lawrence Dunbar. Crusader Without Violence: A Biography of Martin Luther King, jr. NewSouth Books, 2018.
Shamir, Boas, Michael B. Arthur, and Robert J. House. “The rhetoric of charismatic leadership:A theoretical extension, a case study, and implications for research.” Leadership Now: Reflections on the Legacy of Boas Shamir. Emerald Publishing Limited, 2018. 31-49.
