Today we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Born on January 15, 1929, King would be 87 today. We mark this day to remember his fight in the Civil Rights Movement for equality through nonviolence.
In
Images of America: Selma, author Sharon J. Jackson notes that Jim Crow laws created a “systematic denial of black voting rights” throughout the first have the 20th century. The laws forced literacy tests and poll taxes on a community that could not get an education or make a decent wage because of their skin tone. King, believing that our nation could be more together, worked tirelessly to secure voting rights for all people. This action would allow for the viewpoints of all people to be expressed through the political system.
In his pursuit of equality through nonviolent action, this selfless man fell victim to the very ignorance and oppression he sought to end and died on April 4, 1968, in Tennessee. King is remembered for the potential he saw in our country, praising the progress cities made while continuing to march his way into the minds of the American people. This day serves as a time for reflection and remembrance of a turbulent moment in our country’s history, and for the man who had a dream.
Explore our catalog to learn more about the history of the Civil Rights movement in the United States.