Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and political philosopher who gained recognition as a humanitarian activist and leader in the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Using the practice of nonviolent civil disobedience and organized protests, King led marches around the nation decrying Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination.

King delivered his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. He was instrumental in helping the movement achieve pivotal legislation for civil, voting, and housing rights. King expanded his focus to include poverty and speaking out against the Vietnam War. Often targeted with threats of violence, King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis while supporting rallies for black sanitation workers. The recipient of many degrees and awards, among them the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, King is also honored in Washington D.C. with a library and memorial.