We must all look up to Martin Luther King Jr.
Few historical figures embody the five Lasallian core principles so strongly
Indrani Sengupta
Issue date: 1/26/10 Section: Opinion
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Born in Atlanta, Georgia to Martin Luther King, Sr. and his wife Alberta, King attended Booker T. Washington High School, then Morehouse College (where he enrolled at just 15 years of age).
He earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in sociology and divinity (the latter from Crozer Theological Seminary), and a doctorate of philosophy at Boston University.
"Intelligence plus character- that is the goal of true education"- Martin Luther King Jr.
The son of a reverend and also the grandson of a reverend (A.D. Williams), King's Christian beliefs were of the greatest importance to him. At 25, he became pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
For the rest of his life, he would fight for civil rights in the name of God. He led the Southern Christian Leadership conference, a group created to harness the power of black churches to conduct non-violent protests for civil rights reform, from 1957 until his death.
"I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land."
Hugely influenced by Gandhi's non-violent activism, and by the populist tradition, King began to address the issues of segregation and racism present in the day, and fight for Black rights: "inclusive community and respect for all persons".
In 1955, when Rosa Parks was arrested because she refused to give her seat up to a white man, King led The Montgomery Bus Boycott in opposition to the Jim Crow laws.
In 1961, he and the SCLC became involved in the Albany Movement, a desegregation coalition in Albany, Georgia.
Two years later, the Birmingham Campaign, a resounding success, similarly attacked segregation in the workforce.
The "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" made demands for the end of segregation in public schools and a law against racial discrimination in employment, the crowning moment being King's unforgettable "I Have a Dream" speech.
Even in the face of personal danger, King did not cease his struggle for civil rights; and even when met with severe police brutality, such as on Bloody Sunday (1963), the activists maintained their nonviolent protest, as King had urged them to do.
King moved next to spread the Civil Rights Movement to the North, starting with Chicago in 1966.
King's civil rights campaign was not only concerned with issues of racism, but also with the wellbeing of the poor.
In 1968, he and the SCLC organized the Poor People's Campaign to address issues of economic justice.
King believed that Black Americans, and all other disadvantaged Americans, deserved to be compensated for historical wrongs, to help bridge the economic gap between races.
"Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"
As remarkable a leader as he was a human being, Martin Luther King, Jr. will always be remembered, idolized, and loved. What is more, he should be emulated, today, by us. There are still issues we have left to conquer.