1. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born Michael Luther King, Jr.  He later changed his name to Martin, although not legally.
2. King was born into a middle-class household in Atlanta, GA, and became a clergyman like his father and grandfather.
3. King graduated from Boston University in 1955 with a Ph.D. in theology.
4. Also in 1955, King peacefully arranged a protest against the arrest of another famed American, Rosa Parks.  Largely because of King’s diligence, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1956 that Montgomery, Alabama, shall provide integrated seating on public buses.  .
5. In 1963, King organized a civil rights march in Washington, D.C., in which he gave the notable speech, “I Have a Dream.”
6. In that same year, Time Magazine awarded Martin Luther King, Jr., the distinguished honor of Man of the Year.
7. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at the age of thirty-five.  He was the youngest individual at the time to have been bestowed that prestigious honor and is still the youngest man.  In the same year, the Civil Rights Act was passed.
8. King was arrested numerous times because of his nonviolent protests and civil rights activities.  He endured physical assault and verbal abuse because of his unwavering commitment to equality.
9. King was awarded five honorary degrees.
10. In 1968, King was to head a march in Memphis, Tennessee, on behalf of striking garbage workers.  Sadly, on the balcony of his hotel, an assassin took his life.

King will forever be remembered as a man who tirelessly sought to overcome inequity in a climate of opposition.  His nonviolent devotion to justice continues to touch the lives of people around the world.

Was Martin Luther King, Jr., a perfect person?  No, like most other individuals, he was flawed.  Still, his dedication to civil rights, often at the expense of his own safety, has worked to become a notable example woven into the fabric of the American heart.