Black History

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DateBlack Friday Biography: Martin Luther King Jr.
King Jr. is a famous African American celebrated during the black history month of February. Luther King Jr. was a renowned social activist during the mid-1950s who tirelessly fought for human rights. Alongside being an activist, King Jr. was also a Baptist minister and brought a seismic impact on the race difference in the United States. Recounting his early years, King was the child of Alberta and Michael King Sr. who dwelt in Atlanta Georgia (Grenada 18). He had a bigger sister Christine Willie and a younger brother Alfred, whom together they lived in a secure and Christian based family.
Early life
King Jr. grew up in Atlanta where he attended the Booker T Washington High School. Here King struggled with his education skipping his ninth and twelfth grade. However, amidst these challenges, King managed to join Morehouse College without graduating from his high school. While in Morehouse, Luther enrolled for a degree in sociology. He was an active student and engaged in different seminar programs. He attended the Liberal Crozer seminary where he became the student president and developed leadership orientation during this period. In the seminar, King grew spiritually through the influence of Benjamin E Mays. Together they influenced and advocated for racial equality, and through Christianity, people had an opportunity to bring social change. King graduated from college and enrolled at Boston University for a doctorate program.

During this program, King expanded his education on understanding the relationship between man and God and finally graduated in 1955.
Contribution to Black History
Martin Luther contribution reflected through the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which provided an opportunity to engage with people and advocate for civil rights. He held the philosophy of nonviolence in addressing their grievance. However, this brought about numerous arrest as well as worldwide attention. Kings is remembered for the bringing new energy into civil right struggles during his time. For instance, he initiated the Selma-Montgomery march, which provoked national outrage. Additionally, it is through the contribution of King Jr. that the Voting Right Act came into action.
The struggle for African Americans against institutionalized racism in the United States during the 1950s saw the emergence of civil rights movements that highlighted the plight of these marginalized groups. This influenced the like of Rosa Park who refused to give up her seat to outwit the segregation experienced in States. The fight for equality was at its epitome during the era of Martin Luther King Jr. who championed for non-violence confrontation towards the fight for justice and civil liberation. During his era, the battle for equality through civil right movement took a turn when King decided to use nonviolence approach to demonstrate over the racial segregation experienced in their state. The non-violence movement marked a continuation of previous civil right movement, which was inspired by the philosophies of ancient activist such Park Rosa to highlight the racial segregation experienced by African American.
Martin Luther’s philosophy of peace and non-violence confrontation influenced many African American to step forward and demand for their equal rights. Besides, Luther’s Christian background also inspired a man to believe in his course and actions. “…we know the most powerful and potent weapon that people have literally no defence….” (Weinberg 278). The peaceful movements believed in the nonviolence philosophy as a way of bringing change and making the white change their perception. According to the King Jr. civil right movements, violence reprisals was not a better option as it would undermine the value and spirit of the demonstration movement. Even though in the process the angry local customers who even provoked fights by pelting with food and ketchup attacked the students, they held to their philosophy of non-violence approach.
In 1964, King Jr. together with the SCLC marched nightly through the streets of Florida to bring justice to the Northern Activists who were arrested. This was famously known as the St. Augustine movement where hundreds of marchers were arrested and jailed after being attacked by the Klan who were violent. Consequently, it was through the effort of Luther King that the 1964 Civil Right Act was passed after the St Augustine march. Additionally, late in the same year, King Jr. joined the SNCC in Selma Alabama to help in voter registration campaign. While in Alabama, Luther King together with members of the SNCC and the SCLC were banned by the state from gathering in groups of more than three for fear of causing unrest to the public. While King was at Birmingham Jail, he wrote an open letter that reflected the position of the African American and stated reasons why the demanded equality and civil rights. His letter became famous and even inspired white civil rights activists to join his course for African American liberation.
King Jr. also led the Selma voting right movement with the aim that African American could have their equal rights to vote. King formed the slogan “How Long, Not long” to bring hope to the African Americans that their freedom was near. After that, King Jr. led different campaigns in Chicago, Memphis and Tennessee where he campaigned for the end of US involvement in the Vietnam War. He also supported strikes against black labour exploitation in Memphis. King contribution in political life shaped the state of African American in fighting for their liberation.
Additionally, Luther King’s movements were motivated by their protégés like Ronald Walter and James Lawson, who were famous activists who contributed significantly to the black freedom struggles. These protégés inspired Luther to proceed and change the world in a peaceful confrontation with the whites. The used the ideologies of Jim Lawson of divine inspiration where people need to see each other as a human being instead of views them as enemies. This helped the movement inspire more students to join and work together to create change. Additionally, the sit-in movement was built on the deep foundation of the inspiration of traditions and culture of African American organisational experience that stretch back through black civil liberations.
Subsequently, the activist bought major changes through his movement, which changed the perception of civil right movement. One of the impacts of the campaign was the change in racial assumption that was created in the state concerning Black Fork on acting impulsively instead of forethought (Weinberg 294). In fact, through the activities of the young activists’ students, the image of civil right movement back in the 1960s was changed. King Jr, Luther showed to the world that civil wars were not just for the old people, but the younger generation could also help change the world. He influenced the change of the black radical tradition nation if student sit-in movements being spontaneous. They managed to work together and mobilize a huge following and even formed well-organised plans that supported the pre-existing organisation in influencing change. Moreover, the sit-in movement changed the direction of civil right movement by increasing attention for the struggle presented by the civil rights movement towards African Americans. Although many of the participants were arrested for misconduct, disturbance, and trespassing, they still managed to change the society view on civil movement as a centre for the campaign.
Social, Political and Religious influence
Protestant Reformation was a rebellion against the Roman Catholic Church that began in 1517 and initiated by Martin Luther King Henry and John Calvin. Corruption triggered reformation, where the Catholic Church was accused selling indulgences, nepotism and corrupt popes. A doctrinal difference is another cause of reformation; reformers began to oppose Catholic doctrines such beliefs in Mary, priesthood, sacraments and many others. For example, John Calvin disagreed with purgatory idea preached by Catholics. The invention of the printing press helped reformer in spreading their ideas against the Catholic Church. Martin Luther published new books and pamphlets on his ideas against the Catholic Church. These ideas began to spread throughout Europe and motivated other reformers to rebel against the Catholic Church. Furthermore, King Jr. used his opportunity in Southern Christian Leadership Conference to bring insight in reforming the state of the people towards social issues that affected them. According to King, the society was corrupted by social injustice and the church could help redeem this act by first changing their course.
King Luther participated in the reformation that helped shape the state of African American in the United States and their position in the Roman Church. Non-violence movement inspired by King Jr. influenced European and global politics since the Roman Catholic Church no longer had power in Europe. Kingdoms that emerged in Europe gained full authority and sovereignty to rule themselves without any influence from the roman catholic church. Additionally, this era influenced the political culture of anti-authoritarianism hence affecting the modern ideas of democratic government, which Luther participated in changing. Luther had a great impact on social issue especially religion, where Protestantism grew among Christians in Europe and globally. He promoted education as a way of enlightenment and spreading ideas. Furthermore, through the efforts of King Jr., the value of family in society became important, and women remained subordinate to their husband for those that got married. Economically, reformation affected the finances of the Catholic Church, where they began to receive less money from the public. Rulers of the monarchs that emerged now received more money than before. For example, after Henry defected from the Catholic Church he confiscated 25 percent of its land and sold hence collecting more revenue for his kingdom.
In summation, It is King Jr. who introduced the famous slogan ‘I have a Dream’ among the African American. This slogan was to emphasise on the belief that someday equality would rein and all men viewed as brothers. Even after his assassination, Luther is considered one of the famous African American who fought for the rights and equality of his people during his era. He is associated with nonviolence and the slogan ‘I have a dream’ as a belief in social justice and equality in the world, especially among African Americans.
Work Cited
Grenada, Paul. “Martin Luther King Jr., Black History and the West Indies.” New York Amsterdam News, vol. 99, no. 7, 07 Feb. 2008, p. 18
Weinberg, Jack. “Students and Civil Rights in the 1960s.” History of Education Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 2, 1990, pp. 213–324. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/368657.