Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was a very strong person, constantly fighting for what he believed in, which was equality for African Americans. He was not scared to stand up and tell the world what he wanted for society. He was fearless and did everything in his power to prove a point. Martin Luther King, Jr., was the strongest individual of his time, for he fought until death, which proves how much he was willing to risk his life to make the world an equal place.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said that, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” During the time period (1850s) in which Frederick Douglass gave a speech entitled “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery,” slavery was still a prominent feature of American society, especially in the Southern States. Douglass, like many others, was an abolitionist, someone who advocates the abolition or ending of something, such as slavery. Douglass’s speech was intended to shine a light on what he called the hypocritical practice of slavery within the United States of America. Lyndon B. Johnson on the other hand, was the 36th president of the United States of America (1963-1969), and he served during a period in

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and an activist who led the civil rights movement in the 1950. He was a fundamental force behind the civil rights movement that ended legal segregation. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. But he was sadly assassinated in 1968 on a second floor balcony of Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee…

“We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights.” (King,207) This Is a very powerful message that King is trying to convey where he describes how African Americans for years have been told to “wait”

August 28, 1963 (Eidenmuller) marked a very important day in history that had an impact not only on America, but the whole world. On this day, Martin Luther King Jr. presented his well known I Have a Dream speech that aimed to eliminate racism, inequality and discrimination. He strongly believed that one day people would put their differences aside and come together. So, what happened to that dream? Along with other equality initiative ideas, they rarely make it past the idea stages or end in the actual eradication result. It is clear to us that even after 51 years, our societies still struggle with accepting full equality. Within those 51 years we have made a mass amount of progress but, a common thought would be that after this long the issue should have been eradicated. Two essays that can be used as an example of proof that racial inequality still exists in our society are, Black Men in Public Spaces by Brent Staples and Who Shot Johnny? by Debra Dickerson. In these essays, both provide solid evidence to support their main goal with the use of different writing styles, tone, and rhetorical devices to display how African Americans are perceived and treated by society.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a well noted American leader, who is known primarily for his role in the African-American civil rights movement of the 20th century in USA. He is often regarded as a champion of human rights and considered to be not only associated with the cause of racial discrimination against the African-Americans, but also with other social causes relating to injustice, unfairness and discrimination in the American society. He also holds the privilege of being the youngest ever person in the history to have received the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize1. Besides being a well-renowned social activist, he was also a Baptist minister and had a degree in Theology and Divinity2. Since he had such an active and stellar political career, his political and social beliefs and his achievements in those areas have received a lot more attention than his religious beliefs and philosophies that he conformed to. In this article an attempt is made to highlight his religious contributions to the American theology.

The Civil Rights Movement was a critical time in the history of the United States of America. In this time of fighting, brutality, and injustice, leaders arose to fight for equality for all, one, in particular, was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King is well-renowned for believing in something and standing up for it, even though the repercussion of his actions resulted in serving time in jail. While he served his time in Birmingham, he wrote a lengthy letter to inspire and admonish the nation. This letter was addressed to two groups, the Church and the White moderates, that contained wisdom in the form of three themes, one of those is letting the governing officials have more time to act almost always means it’s never

In the narrative Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr., published in 1964, King describes the struggles African Americans faced to receive equal rights. During the 1960s the Civil Rights movement was in full swing. The year 1963 is referred to as the beginning of the “Negro Revolution”. In the introduction of this narrative King compares the lives of two African American children. By using one child from Harlem, New York and one from Birmingham, Alabama, King explains how they faced similar battles of poverty with limited opportunities. This showed how this problem was a national problem and not one that was just confined to the South. King used descriptive examples to explain the Civil Rights movement throughout this narrative. The two major themes throughout Why We Can’t Wait are racial discrimination and the use of nonviolence.

King bemoans the fact that “one hundred years” after the Emancipation Proclamation an the end to slavery, “the Negro still is not free.” This may not seem like a typical logical appeal at first because it appeals to emotion, but it also points out that the revered Emancipation Proclamation that supposedly freed African-Americans, in fact, only lengthened the chains that bound them. King also argues that despite the words written in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” and are therefore guaranteed certain rights, African-Americans still have yet to be given those rights at all. He furthers the logical argument by comparing this denial of rights to a “bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’" (King). This appeals to the logic that if all men are created equal, then they should be treated equal; one man should not have more or less rights than

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the heroes that made an enormous impact on society and the history of the United States. King was born in January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a difficult time in the world and he finds it very difficult to play with other boys in town. Their parents never let them play with poor Michael (which is his original name). He doesn’t realize it at the time, but the color of his skin is the cause of many injustices for the rest of his life. His family has always had an important role in church since before Michael was born. At the age of 6, Michael and his family travel to Europe. While visiting Germany, Michael and his father change their names to Martin Luther King and Martin Luther King Jr. At the age of 15 King graduated from high school, years later after attending different colleges, he moves to Boston and graduated from Boston University.

Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. was a phenomenal man who inspired and enlivened the hearts of those who followed him, believed and trusted his words of speech that gave wisdom. And the knowledge that came with the concept of understanding and acceptance of the issue of racism and discrimination in the community and across the world surrounding them.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated, “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.” The same dictum can be applied when analyzing the challenges associated with religious bias and LGBT inequality, especially within the black church. These issues should have a pronounced platform in the black church, which has had the lived experience of challenging oppressive societal systems that were anchored in religious rhetoric. In the same vein, the LGBT community endures an exorbitant amount of hate via a religious interpretation regarding what is morally proper.

The United States has had countless influential leaders. Most of our praised leaders have risen in times of depression, and in eras when we lacked the ability to come together for ourselves. Dr. Martin Luther King was and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest leaders in American history for his public speaking skills that united millions during the civil rights movement. Born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia, Dr. King was raised in a family of prominent pastors. He later followed in his families’ footsteps and became the third member to become a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He followed his Father and grandfather by attending Morehouse College, which is a historically black university. He later attended Boston College where he received his doctorate degree and met his wife Coretta Scott who was his partner in his civil rights campaign.

Not just deferred for you, but likewise deferred for your parents, and their parents, and their grandparents, and their grandparents’ grandparents — deferred now for your children and your children’s children. What happens when substantive and far-reaching gains for Blacks – socially, economically and politically are deferred? How about when access to quality education and quality health care equal to that of Whites is deferred? How much longer shall we wait for full equality? How many more generations - deferred liberty? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his letter from a Birmingham Jail, rationalized that the required engagement needed to fight for equality could not be placed on the back burner. To wait, he concluded, “has almost always meant ‘Never’.” “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor”, Dr. King advised, “it must be demanded by the oppressed.” What happens when “demanded by the oppressed” is deferred? Did righteous Black Power and Critical Resistance dry up like a raisin in the sun?

In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King said, “For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never."” Dr. King’s words are resonant and relevant in current struggles worldwide. In the U.S., marginalized groups have fought for emancipation for decades. We have been told to vote and to participate in politics for our liberation. The problem is that when we vote for officials who enact legislation suppressing one type of oppression, another type is quickly formed. When lynching was out, police brutality came in. When child labor was out, prison labor came in. It’s a never-ending cycle. One form of oppression takes the place of whichever form is removed. We have been programmed to be dependent on voting for officials with progressive ideals who are meant to free us from our persecution. We are sold dreams of reform to convince us to vote for one candidate over another. We are told to adhere to a dominant political party for our freedom. Throughout history, we are told lies and are manipulated by the ruling class as if though it is a generational tradition.