Martin Luther King Jr.

Keywords:
- civil rights leader – statesman – educator – dream of equality – tried to fulfill his
dream – man of peace – integrity –
- determination - righteousness – justice – Nobel Prize - “peaceful resistance” -

Biography:
− born on Januar 15, 1929
− was an ordained1 Baptist minister and earned a Ph.D2 in divinity3 from Boston University
in 1955
− between 1957 and 1968 he traveled more than 6 million miles and gave over 2,500 speeches
− wrote five books and many articles
- “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story” (1958)
- ”Strength to Love” (1963)
- “Why We Can't Wait” (1964)
- “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” (1967)
- “The Trumpet of Conscience” (1968)
− was awarded fifty honorary degrees4 and named “Man of the Year” by Time magazine in
1963
− while fighting for the civil right movements, he and his family received countless death
threats
− in 1964, at the age of 35, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace
Price, he even donated the prize money to further the civil rights movements
− in 1955 and 1956 King led a boycott of Montgomery's segregated city bus lines, this gave
him national attention
− King led many other civil rights protests, the most famous being in Birmingham Alabama
in 1963 where non-violent protestory had been attacked with police dogs and firehoses5
across the nation
− in August 1963, 20,000 people were involved in the March on Washington, during which
King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech
− after the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1965, King began to turn his
attention to criticism of the Vietnam War and poverty
− two months before his death, he spoke of his hope for peace and of the ways in which he
wished his life to be remembered [“I Have a Dream” Quote: “Every now and then.....to
leave a committed life behind”]

1
(to) be ordained priest: zum Priester geweiht werden
2
Doktor der Philosophie
3
Theologie
4
Honorary degrees: Ehrentitel
5
Feuerschlauch
 − was assassinated6 on April 4, 1968 while on a visit to support striking sanitation workers
− at the time of his death, he was involved in organizing the Poor People's March to
Washington, DC.
− was arrested as many as 20 times, assaulted on at least four occasions
− while being an advocate7 of peace and nonviolence, he faced storms of brutal physical
and emotional attacks, incarceration8 and campaigns to discredit him
− had his parsonage9 bombed twice bei segregationists10, one bombing occurred when his
wife and ten-week-old daughter were at home
− despite all the violence directed at King and his family he continued to fight for the
belief that all people are created equal
− also continued to preach throughout his life that nonviolent civil disobedience11 was the
best way to achieve equality
− King is considered one of the most gifted orators12 of the twentieth century

His dream of equality:

− not only to change laws and rules, but for people to change their minds and spirits in the
way they saw differences between people
− dreamed of a world where racism and bigotry13 were looked down upon and not
endorsed
− dreamed that one day people wouldn't struggle to see others as equals and that justice
and fairness would be imprinted and imbedded in all of us
− dreamed that we wouldn't make the same mistakes that our ancestors did and that
people would realize how ignorant and wrong racism is
− unfortunately, King didn't get to see his dream come true, it still hasn't completely come
true to this day
− many people still learn hate from their parents and do not want to love and understand
anyone different than themselves , even Police brutality is still going on in our world
− discrimination is still accepted in parts of the U.S.A. and although African Americans and
other minorities are allowed to eat and interact freely in public facilities now, it is well
documented that people of color often receive inferior service
− some of King's dreams failed not because of laws or rules, but because of personal
preference: for example blacks and whites do not often worship together and most
churches are attended by people of mostly one race
− King's dream was to see the dreams of everyone, no matter their skin colour, religion or
race
6
(to) assassinate: ermorden
7
Befürworter
8
Einkerkerung, Kerkerhaft
9
Pfarrhaus
10
Befürworter(in) der Rassentrennung
11
Ungehorsam
12
Volksredner
13
Engstirnigkeit
 − the day when King's dream comes true will be when a black man won't feel
uncomfortable in a restaurant full of whites
− that would be the day when we as human beings will truly look at one another people,
not as black people, white people, Latino People, gay people, Jewish people or any other
type of people
− that would also be the day when we will truly judge each other by character and
personality rather than by skin colour, religious beliefs or other differences
− the power of King's message, the unquestionable reason that the movement he led was
successful, was his appeal to the truth of freedom and its universal applicability14 to all
men
− he appealed to blacks not to allow suffering to translate into bitterness not into
categorical hate of white Americans [“I Have a Dream” Quote: “Let us not seek to satisfy
our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”]
− instead, King exhorted black Americans to not allow themselves to be destroyed by
unearned suffering but to be redeemed15 by it [“I Have a Dream” Quote: “Continue to
work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive”]

Honoring MLK: (some examples)

− won 1964 the Nobel Peace Prize
− in 1966, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America awarded King the Margaret
Sanger Award for "his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the
advancement of social justice and human dignity"
− was posthumously awarded the Marcus Garvey Prize for Human Rights by Jamaica in
2004
− King was awarded at least fifty honorary degrees16 from colleges and universities in the
U.S. and elsewhere
− more than 730 cities in the United States have streets named after King
− King County, Washington rededicated its name in his honor in 1986 and changed its logo
to an image of his face in 2007

Martin Luther King Day:

− once in an interview, King was asked what opponent he would like to strand on a desert
isle, King playfully suggested U.S. Senior Barry Goldwater (the 1964 Republican
presidential candidate who campaigned in defense of segregation, calling Kim a
commie17 and a traitor18

14
Anwendbarkeit
15
erlöst
16
honorary degrees: Ehrentitel
17
Rote(r), Kommunist
18
Verräter
 − by 1993 Goldwater was long retired from politics but that year he helped lead the fight in
his native Arizona to create a holiday in King's memory
− 35 years after MLK was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, the American honor his
work and life with a national holiday
− holiday is observed on the third Monday January each year, near the time of King's
birthday
− -it's a day when all people can celebrate King's dream of equal rights

MLK memorial:
− memorial includes a 28-foot sculpture depicting King emerging from a chunk of granite
− is being paid for almost entirely with private money in a fundraising campaign led by the
Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation
− monument will be turned over to the National Park Service once it is complete

The failure of MLK:

− King also said in his “I Have a Dream” speech:
- The United States soldiers in Vietnam “test out [their] latest weapons on the peasants19 of
South Vietnam, just as the Germans tested out new medicine and new tortures in the
concentration camps of Europe”
- King said American soldiers “may have killed a million South Vietnamese civilians - mostly
children”
- King said the United States was “the greatest purveyor20 of violence in the world today”
- King called President Johnson a liar and said Americans should become “conscientious
objectors21”
− since that speech, MLK has continued to mouth the Communist line
− he has continued to lose influence throughout the world, except in Communist countries
where he had been a headlined hero
− most American Negro leaders, for example Roy Wilkins and Whitney Young, denounced
King then
− Carl Rowan, a Negro and former director of the USIA said: “Martin Luther King has
alienated many of the Negro's friends and armed the Negro's foes22, in both parties, by
creating the impression that the Negro is disloyal. But urging Negroes not to respond to
the draft or to fight in Vietnam, he has taken a tack that many Americans of all races
consider utterly irresponsible.”
“It is a tragic irony that there should be any doubt about the Negro's loyalty to his country –
especially doubt created by MLK, who has helped as much as any one man to make America
truly the Negro's country, too.”

19
(armer) Bauer, (arme) Bäuerin
20
Lieferant, Händler
21
conscientious objectors: Kriegsdienstverweigerer
22
Feind, Gegner
Finally...:
− King was a young boy when he first learned how unfair people could be: Martin wasn't
allowed to play with two white boys who lived across the street from his family in
Atlanta, Ga., Mrs. King told him: “”The boys' parents believe in segregation, or keeping
people apart, because their skin colors are different. But you are as good as anyone.”
− the words “as good as anyone” stayed with him always, they stayed with him as he
studied to become a minister, they stayed with him as he marched peacefully for equal
rights for all people, they also stayed with him as he gave his famous “I Have a Dream”
speech, THOSE WORDS NEED TO STAY IN THE HEARTS OF ALL OF US TODAY
− it is important to learn from the past so as not to repeat the same mistakes, we must all
take a stand for what is right and teach to be bold23 and faithful when confronted with
adversity

23
mutig