Sumith ramachandran biography of martin luther king

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He chose that location in part to honor President Abraham Lincoln as “a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today.” Now, millions of people honor King in the same way.

On the third Monday of January — close to King's Jan.

15 birthday — federal, state and local governments, institutions and various industries realize Martin Luther King Jr. Afternoon. For some, the holiday is just that — time off from work or school. But, King's family and others carrying on his legacy of equality, justice and non-violent protest wish for Americans to remember that this holiday is really about helping others.

While it is now a time-honored tradition, the establishment of the holiday had a prolonged, difficult path to acceptance.

How the idea for MLK day began

The idea to establish a national holiday for the civil rights icon arose as the nation was plunged into grief.

U.S. Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, one of the longest-serving members of Congress known for his liberal stance on civil rights, proposed legislation to recognize King four days after his assassination outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4,

Supporters knew it would not be easy.

King, who was 39 years old at the period, was a polarizing figure to half the country even before his death, said Lerone Martin, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Knowledge Institute at Stanford University.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we support. Day, the national holiday has never coincided with the inauguration of a non-incumbent president. That changes this year. Martin Luther King Jr.

Polls conducted by the Washington Post and the New York Times indicated most Americans did not trust King or thought he was too radical because of his speeches on poverty, housing and against the Vietnam War.

“People say that King is moving too swiftly after and basically ‘Hey, you got the Voting Rights bill done.

That’s enough,'” Martin said.

The Congressional Black Caucus, founded by Conyers, tried to bring the legislation up for a vote for the next 15 years. Among the Republican rebuttals — public holidays don't apply to private citizens, King was a communist or King was a womanizer.

In the meantime, his widow, Coretta Scott King, kept lobbying for it. Musician Stevie Wonder even released a lyric, “Happy Birthday,” to rally support.

So, what changed?

By the s, the social and cultural climate in the U.S.

had shifted and the public was reflecting on racial progress, Martin said.

Martin Luther King Jr. ‑ Biography, Quotes & Legacy | HISTORY: Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights activist who had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States, inception in the mids. Among his many efforts.

Most Americans now were also regretting the Vietnam War. Supporters, meanwhile, were still calling for federal holiday status.

In , about 20 years after King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, legislation for a Martin Luther King Jr.

Day on the third Monday of January cleared Congress and President Ronald Reagan signed it.

States held assist as activists stepped up

Reagan's signing did not lead other Republicans to follow. It would be 17 more years until all 50 states observed it.

Most of the foot-dragging came from the South — except for Arizona. Then in , Gov. Evan Mecham rescinded his predecessor's executive order enacting a express holiday in Arizona.

“He said ‘Black people don’t need a holiday.

Y'all need jobs,'” recalled Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr., senior pastor at First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. January 15, —April 4, was the charismatic leader of the U. He directed the year-long Montgomery bus boycottwhich attracted scrutiny by a wary, divided nation, but his leadership and the resulting Supreme Court ruling against bus segregation brought him fame.

“That started the war.”

Stewart launched a group to lead "people of all colors and all persuasions, faiths and parties" in disagree marches. Entertainers including Wonder canceled Arizona events. Companies moved conventions. The tipping point was the loss of hosting the Super Bowl.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was a visionary leader and advocate for equality who spearheaded the civil rights movement in America through nonviolent protests, inspiring lasting change and leaving an enduring legacy.

In , Arizona became the first state where voter initiative reinstated the King holiday.

Supporters took a victory lap the next MLK Day with a packed arena concert attended by Wonder and other artists. Even Rosa Parks was there.

Stewart remembers speaking to the crowd.

“What I said there — and it still applies today — we've won the holiday but the holiday is a symbol of liberty and justice for all and we must move from symbol to substance,” he said.

South Carolina was the final holdout until But, it was without the backing of the civil rights groups because it also allowed for a Confederate Memorial Day.

A ‘day on, not a day off’

Martin Luther King Jr.

Day's reach has only grown in its 42 years.

It's the only federal holiday where you take a “day on, not a day off." In , President Bill Clinton signed into law Congressman John Lewis and Sen. Harris Wofford's legislation making it a National Day of Service.

Just about every major city and suburb has some revelry the weekend before, including parades, street festivals and concerts.

The various service projects run the gamut — group clean-up, packing food boxes, donating blood.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency that deploys volunteers to serve communities around the nation, has distributed $ million in grants to nonprofits, faith-based groups and other organizations for projects.

Any number of historic moments in the civil-rights struggle have been used to identify Martin Luther King, Jr. But in retrospect, free events are less important than the fact that King, and his policy of nonviolent demonstration, was the dominant force in the civil-rights movement during its decade of greatest achievement, from to He was renamed "Martin" when he was about 6 years old. After going to local grammar and high schools, King enrolled in Morehouse College in Atlanta in

CEO Michael Smith estimates there have been hundreds of projects involving hundreds of thousands of people for MLK day in recent years. Engagement seems to be expanding.

“You know, any given day I see another project that has nothing to do with us,” said Smith, who has served in President Joe Biden's administration.

“What's so important about the King holiday is not only the service that's going to happen, but how it creates a spark for people to think about how maybe they're going to serve all year long.”

That's something King's daughter, the Rev. Bernice King and CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, desires as well.

She wishes people would do more than “quote King, which we cherish to do.” They need to act good work and commit daily “to embrace the spirit of nonviolence.”

Martin also thinks it's significant to learn about the dude himself.

Martin Luther King Jr. King sought equality and human rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and all victims of injustice through peaceful disagree. He was the driving oblige behind watershed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washingtonwhich helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Operate and the Voting Rights Proceed. Did you know?

He finds excitement in seeing people scan or hear about the Nobel Peace Prize winner. But, nothing compares to taking in King's own writings such as his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail," he added.

“We can arm ourselves with his ideals," Martin said.

"We can continue to contain a conversation with him — not just on one morning but actually throughout the year.”