Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most important leaders in the civil rights
movement, and one of America's greatest peace heroes. He
dedicated his life to fighting injustice. Unlike many heroes of the past, Dr.
King did not fight with violence, but promoted nonviolence and passive resistance
as tools for social change.
As
a Baptist Minister, Dr. King's deep faith helped to shape his vision of love and
kindness, justice and equality for all. He was also greatly influenced by the
lives and writings of Mahatma Gandhi and Henry David Thoreau. Dr. King put theory
into practice by leading many nonviolent boycotts and protests in the 1960s. An
eloquent speaker, he quickly rose to prominence as one of the most important leaders
in the movement for racial equality in America and in the worldwide movement for
peace during the Vietnam War.
For
his dedication to world peace and working towards a nation where all men and women
are created equal, Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. At 35 years
old, he was the youngest person ever to receive this honor.
An
assassin's bullet killed Dr. King in 1968, but his dream of a better world is
alive in countless hearts and lives today.
Dr.
King strongly believed in personal responsibility for helping to bring peace,
justice and equality into our communities and our world, and his life is a shining
example of one who practiced what he preached. The United States Congress created
a national holiday in honor of his legacy. Appropriately, Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day is dedicated as a day of volunteer service, so that it is not just a day
off from work or school, but a day to give of ourselves to our communities.
