BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TODAY (Jan. 19) marks the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a US federal holiday which honours the life and work of the late prominent civil rights activist.
Commemoration of the holiday, which has been observed since 1986, has been made all the more significant with tomorrow’s (Jan. 20) inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African-American President.
King was born in Georgia in 1929 to Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. He became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama in 1954, one year after his marriage to Coretta Scott King and a year before he acquired his Philosophy Doctorate degree.
King’s career in activism began in 1955 when he was one of the key leaders in the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, which was a political and social protest campaign in Montgomery, Alabama against the city’s policy of racial segregation on its public transit system.
He then became President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an American civil rights organisation aimed at conducting non-violent protests in its quest for civil rights reform. ~~Adz:Right~~
Prominent activities organised by King during his tenure with the SCLS include the Selma to Montgomery Marches, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and the Poor People’s Campaign.
Known for his impressive oratorical skills, King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech is considered to be one of the greatest in history and a defining moment in the American civil rights movement. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his fight to end racial prejudice.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 on his hotel room balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. His death led to nationwide riots and worldwide mourning.
He is considered by many to have been a human rights icon and one of the prominent leaders of the civil rights movement.
Obama has pointed to King as one of his role models and has expressed admiration for his efforts to end racial inequality. People have pointed to the incredible coincidence, in that celebration of King’s commemorative day falls one day before Obama’s historic inauguration.
The ceremony is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of persons eager to see history made before their eyes.
