Martin Luther King, Jr.
On the wall above my computer hangs a simple, but bold sketch of Dorothy Day, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. When I think of people who dedicated their lives to the promotion of peace it cannot be denied that these three ordinary individuals accomplished extraordinary things in peace and reconciliation. On January 19 this year, we will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is appropriate, therefore, that we profile the life and works of Dr. King.

At the age of 35, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest person and the second American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. One of the most influential peacebuilders in American history for 13 years, Dr. King led the fight for civil rights and challenged the institutional and personal racism poisoning our country. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world.

Dr. King's concept of "somebodiness," which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the rejection of discrimination, gave black and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolent action by means of reasonable negotiation and peaceful resistance transformed the conscience of our country and reordered its priorities.

On August 28, 1963, a quarter of a million people marched to the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. King proclaimed these unforgettable words:

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Dr. King was assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, by James Earl Ray. Dr. King had been in Memphis to help lead sanitation workers in a protest against low wages and intolerable conditions. His funeral services were held April 9, 1968, in Atlanta at Ebenezer Church (where he was ordained a minister) and on the campus of Morehouse College (his alma mater), with the President of the United States proclaiming a day of mourning with flags flown at half-staff.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is located in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information about the Center or about life and works of Martin Luther King, Jr. go to www.lib.lsu.edu/hum/mlk.