Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I think a hero is someone who stands up for one another and puts others before themselves. A hero is someone who doesn't desire fame, but does an act out of kindness and love. My hero falls into this category perfectly. My hero is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. At that time there was a separation between Caucasian and African American people. Martin Luther King was an African American. Throughout his childhood and adulthood, people were laughing and calling him names only because of his skin color. At that time, most African American people went to different schools, they had to sit in the back of the bus, and they even had separate water fountains! Martin Luther King wanted to end this, but he needed help. He wrote speeches stating that everyone is equal no matter what they look like. Even though many people disagreed with Martin Luther King, he never lost his temper and was always respectful to others.

One day a woman named Rosa Parks, an African American who was living in Montgomery, Alabama, was sitting in the front of the bus. This was only allowed when no one asked her for her seat. When the bus stopped for some passengers to get on, she knew that someone was going to ask her and when a middle aged man did, she said no. He threatens to call the police but Rosa stood her ground. She believed that every man and woman should be born equal no matter their skin color. Finally the man and the driver both agreed to call the cops. This stunned the officials. That night she was put in jail. A few hours later someone posted bail for Rosa. She was charged with a violation of the Montgomery City Code Ch 6 Section 11.

This made Martin Luther King happy, because he is now seeing that other African American people are standing up for their rights, but it also made him sad to see people being punished for doing the right thing. Instead of just quitting, Martin protested even more by leading a great march through the city. A couple of months later he spoke a speech that shook the world. It was called the "I have a dream" speech. Many people started to see what Dr. Martin saw all along, and that is that all men and women, white or black, shall have equal rights and equal roles in the United States.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. The assassin was a man named James Earl Rae. There was a big funeral and many people honored his noble sacrifices. I chose Martin Luther King Jr. because he is someone who stood up when others didn't. Strength and courage were just some amazing traits that he has, and I want to be like him. I want to help others and make the world a better place. Martin Luther King was an extraordinary person and I hope that you can see how great he was too.