Martin Luther King, Biography Of A Human Rights Defender

Martin Luther King was a flesh and blood hero, with all his lyrics. He incarnated one of those figures that occur once a century and that represent the best of 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 to have achieved a historic advance in the recognition of civil rights and the dismantling of racial segregation in his country. The interesting thing is that he achieved everything using non-violent methods and based only on his intelligence, charisma and leadership skills.

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

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 pastor and he himself was until his death.

When he was 6 years old, two friends of his who were white announced to him that his parents had forbidden them to play with him because he was black.

King went to public schools and there he performed brilliantly. Due to his abilities, he did not have to attend the ninth or twelfth grades. That is why he entered university at the age of 15.

He obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the age of 25, from Boston University. Shortly before that he had married Coretta Scott, with whom he had four children. After finishing his studies, he was appointed pastor of the Baptist church, in the city of Montgomery (Alabama). Right there his legend began.

A fierce activist

The episode that marked a before and after in the life of Martin Luther King took place in 1955. At that time, a very evident hostility against blacks in Alabama prevailed. That year an event occurred that changed the history of the United States and of which King was the protagonist. A woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on the bus.

Thereafter, Martin Luther King led a boycott of the city’s buses, in a strong protest that lasted for more than a year. Blacks refused 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 outlawed discrimination on Montgomery buses.

Since then, King has never stopped leading peaceful protests for civil rights and against racial segregation. In 1963, he led a march to Washington and there he made a famous speech known as I have a dream / I have a dream. In this he expressed his desire for an egalitarian world.

A life cut early

Although Martin Luther King was radical in the use of non-violent methods, he was subjected to violence and repression many times. In all, he was arrested 20 times. They almost always offered him bail in exchange for his freedom, but he refused. His house was attacked on several occasions and the FBI infiltrated personnel to closely monitor all his activities.

It is said that between 1957 and 1968 he made marches and walks that in total totaled 10 million kilometers. During that same period, he made around 2,500 public speeches. I have a dream , his most emblematic speech, was not prepared. He improvised it in front of the huge crowd that surrounded him.

At the age of 35 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and so far he is the youngest person to have obtained that award. Four years later, on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was killed by a bullet that someone fired when he was on a balcony. The perpetrators, as well as the motives for the murder, are the subject of controversy to this day.