Martin Luther King, Champion Of Human Rights

Martin Luther King was a real hero, literally. He embodied one of those figures that are more unique than rare and that best represent the human being. He is considered one of the most important characters in the history of the United States and the world in general.

The great merit of this Baptist pastor was that of having allowed historic progress in the recognition of civil rights and in the dismantling of racial segregation in his country. He achieved it all using non-violent methods and supported only by his own intelligence, his own charisma and his own leadership.

Martin Luther King is one of those historical figures who has shown great consistency between his thoughts and actions. More than a political leader, he was a spiritual guide. More than his convictions about the importance of civil rights, he was animated by his deep religious convictions. For this reason, ethics and activism were for him a single reality.

Martin Luther King, a brilliant young man

Martin Luther King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, United States. His father was a Baptist pastor and his mother a church organist. He had two brothers, an older one and a younger sister. His paternal grandfather had also been a shepherd and he himself was until his death.

At the age of 6, two of his white friends told him that their parents had banned them from playing with him because he was black.

King attended public school and achieved brilliant results there. He stood out for his skills and did not have to go to high school because he was admitted to university at 15.

He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree at the age of 25 from Boston University. Shortly before, he had married Coretta Scott, with whom he had four children. After completing his studies, he was appointed pastor of the Baptist Church in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. It was there that his legend began.

A seasoned activist

The episode that marked a before and after in the life of Martin Luther King occurred in 1955. At the time, a very ostentatious hostility against blacks in Alabama prevailed. That year an event happened that would change the history of the United States and of King himself, who was the protagonist. A woman named Rosa Parks refused to give way to a white man on the bus.

From that moment on, Martin Luther King led a boycott fight against city buses, in a strong protest that lasted over a year. People of color began to refuse to use the buses, and some of them had to walk up to 30 kilometers a day to get to work. It all ended when the Supreme Court of Justice declared discrimination on Montgomery buses illegal.

From that moment on, King did not stop conducting peaceful protests in defense of civil rights and against racial segregation. In 1963, he led a march to Washington and delivered a speech that became famous as “I have a dream”, in which he expressed all his desire for a world of equality.

A life broken prematurely

Although Martin Luther King was radical in his use of nonviolent methods, he was nevertheless the victim of violence and repression several times. In total he was arrested 20 times. He was almost always offered to pay bail in exchange for freedom, but he refused. His home was attacked on several occasions and the FBI sent infiltrators to closely monitor all of his activities.

It is said that between 1957 and 1968 he undertook marches and walks for a total of 10 million kilometers. In this same period of time he gave about 2,500 public speeches. “I have a dream”, his most emblematic speech, was improvised in front of an immense crowd watching.

At 35 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and to this day he is the second youngest person to have won this award. Four years later, on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was killed by a bullet that someone fired while he was looking out from a balcony. The perpetrators, as well as the motive for the murder, are still a subject of debate today.