Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He always wore black suits that looked like funeral clothes. He had little or no sense of humor. Maybe once in awhile he did get a laugh, but when you deal with racism day in and day out, it's hard to laugh. Dr. King was religious his father and his grandfather were preachers. He is my hero because he did not step down from his fight – he wanted freedom and equality for himself and his people.

His family was very close and caring, and probably very religious. His dad was a preacher and wanted the perfect model preacher’s family. Dr. King’s father and grandfather were both preachers who worked for Civil rights. The family was very close. Dr. King was married to Coretta Scott and they had four children, 2 boys and 2 girls. He went to all-black schools probably. He seems to have had a pretty good childhood except for the racist comments he’d hear when he went out in public. He wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, but his father said no. Dr. King’s dad wanted him to be a preacher just like him. Martin Luther King was very intelligent and was able to finish high school when he was only 15 years old. He attended Morehouse College and the Crozer Theological Seminary.

In my opinion the best thing that ever happened to Dr. King was winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The worst thing to happen to Dr. King was having his house bombed. I think that Dr. King’s biggest success was organizing and leading non-violent protests. His biggest challenge was convincing his people that they could win their civil rights through non-violent protest.

Martin Luther King was an inspiration to those who struggled for civil rights in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He is still an inspiration today for people everywhere. I think Dr. King’s life’s work can be best summed up in what is probably his most famous quote. In Dr. King’s address at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, given in August, 1963 he said, "I have 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."