Martin Luther King, Jr.

When you think of a hero you usually think of a black cape and tights right? Maybe Superman or Batman pops into your head? Have you ever thought of someone as a hero who has maybe, made a big difference in the way we look at things today? Well my hero stood up for what he believed in and in 1964 Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 at his family home in Atlanta, Georgia. King was a Baptist minister and leader of the Civil-Rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950’s until the time he was murdered in the late 1960’s. King believed that there should be no difference in the way black and white people were treated. In 1963 Dr. King wrote a letter to the Birmingham Jail. This letter inspired a national Civil-Rights movement that did nothing but grow. The goal of writing the letter to Birmingham was to completely wipe out segregation as much as possible in everyday life. This meant, not having separate drinking fountains, not having separate entrances, not being only aloud in certain places, and not having separate bathrooms.

Along with his famous letter to Birmingham he delivered his famous, “I Have a Dream,” speech. This speech is the most memorable speech ever given, and has had an amazing impact on the way we live today. On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was shot by a man named, James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin was only 39 at the time. Before his death, Dr. King was doing a nationwide campaign to help the poor.

I think that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an amazing person who made an amazing difference. I think that he would be considered not only, "A Hero to Others Near and Far," but "A Hero Within." The differences he made have changed the way everyone looks at things today. He has also helped everyone understand how much better things can be when people don’t hate others because of their skin color.

Being a minister, a Civil-Rights leader, writing letters, delivering speeches, Dr. King has done it all to fulfill his dreams. Although, he is not living today he should be very happy to know he is a very important person in history. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." —Martin Luther King, Jr.