General:
* 15.1. 1929 ( Atlanta, Georgia)
+ 4.4.1968 ( Memphis, Tennessee)
– founded the organisation “Southern Christian Leadership Conference” (SCLC)
– 1964: “Friednsnobelpreis”
familiy:
– ML King Senior married Alberta Williams; her dad: baptist minister in the “Ebenezer Baptist Church”, Georgia
– when Alberta’s dad died, Martin became his succession
– they got three children: Christine, Martin Luther , Alfred-Daniel
– Martin Luther King Junior got 4 children
Personal experiences with racism :
– was born into hard time, e.g. Klu- Klux -Klan and his terrible murders
– racial segregation everywhere
constitution says, that everyone is equal , but the whole political system was white
– 2 attempts to kill himself, then he started to look one’s best
school/education:
– visited “Morehouse-College” -> black, private school
– wanted to become baptist minister -> helped his father in his church
– 1951 “Crozer-University” diploma
– changed to Boston, started to learn in Boston & Harvard : philosophy and theology
– met Coretta and married
– went to Atlanta
– was voted to become baptist minister in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery Bus Boycott:
– first big success
– spoke in his church and asked his congregation to stop their using buses
– was voted to be chairman of the boycott, which continued 386 days
– became famous all over the world
– end of the boycott: no racial segregation in public transport in Montgomery
– 1960 he became baptist minister in Atlanta ( “Ebenezer Baptist Church”, with his dad together)
– 1963: chairman in Birmingham, where was a campaign
– 28.August 1963:
– March of Washington ( 200000 black people marched to Washington to demonstrate )
– a lot of people spoke; ML King spoke his most famous speech: “I have a dream”
death:
– 4.4. 1968: Dr Martin Luther King was killed by a white assassin in Memphis, Tennessee
– since 1986: 3. Monday in January: national holiday
Martin Luther King Jr.