Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a Baptist minister, and young Martin grew up surrounded by the teachings of the church. He was a bright student who skipped two grades in high school and entered Morehouse College at just 15 years old. At Morehouse, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a minister. He went on to earn a doctorate in theology from Boston University in 1955.

In 1955, King helped lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat. The boycott lasted 381 days and ended with the Supreme Court ruling that bus segregation was unconstitutional. King then founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and became the most visible leader of the civil rights movement. He organized peaceful protests, marches, and sit-ins across the South. His leadership of the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech to over 250,000 people, became one of the most iconic moments in American history.

King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, becoming the youngest person at the time to receive the honor. He continued fighting for justice until his assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. His work led directly to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of January. His philosophy of nonviolent resistance continues to inspire movements for justice around the world.