King's crew, the SCLC) decided to go there to demonstrate against the segregation laws. Black homes and churches were bombed by white supremacists, the KKK and White Citizens' Councils had a strong public presence, and racial slurs and vigilante murders were commonplace in public life.īirmingham, Alabama was one of the worst places in America to be a Black American, so the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (Dr. It was enforced through violence and intimidation. In thousands of communities, Blacks were denied the right to vote, the right to an adequate education, and basic economic opportunity by local governments, corporate institutions, and a general culture of hate.Īnd segregation wasn't just the local law. White and Black Americans were separated as much as the racists in charge could manage, and there were whites-only hotels, restaurants, and bathrooms that were off-limits for African Americans. Board of Education in 1954, it was a way of life in the South well through the early 1960s. Okay, at least it's on par with the day off.Įven though segregation was found to be unconstitutional in the Supreme Court case of Brown v. What could be greater than a weekday off, you ask? Oh, you know, furthering the causes of equality, brother/sisterhood, universal love and compassion, social justice, and true democracy. But though it might be hard to believe, that isn't his greatest legacy. You're probably grateful that you get a day off from school in his honor. One such protest resulted in one of America’s most famous letters – King’s letter from Birmingham city jail.If you haven't spent your entire school career watching baby goat videos on your phone, you've heard the name Dr.

Perhaps most well-known for his “I Have A Dream” speech, King also organized groups, marches, and campaigns to protest racial injustice. Countless books are written about him, streets and schools are named after him, monuments depicting him stand throughout our nation, and he is one of the few Americans commemorated by a national holiday. Posthumously, he is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest awards U.S. Both a minister and civil rights activist, he fights racism and segregation through nonviolent means and receives a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his efforts. One cannot speak about prejudice without speaking of the life and influence of Martin Luther King Jr. These words echo as true today as they did in his day. writes these famous words in a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 16, 1963, roughly five years before he is assassinated.

Birmingham jail