.
The 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday falls the day before the inauguration of the nation’s first black president.Destiny
“We were here before the mighty words of the Declaration of Independence were etched across the pages of history. Our forebears labored without wages. They made cotton ‘king.’ And yet out of a bottomless vitality, they continued to thrive and develop. If the cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail. . . . Because the goal of America is freedom, abused and scorned tho’ we may be, our destiny is tied up with America’s destiny."
—The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), civil rights leader,
from his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963
from his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963
“Give us the ballot and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights.” Lincoln Memorial, 1957
(Photo: Paul Schutzer/TimeLife ) (Click here for more MLK photos.)
More from MLK:
“From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring. From the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, let freedom ring. But not only that: Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.” —Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream” speech, Aug. 28, 1963
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” —Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Dec. 10, 1964
“If you will protest courageously, and yet with dignity and Christian love, when the history books are written in future generations, the historians will have to pause and say, ‘There lived a great people—a black people—who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.’”—Martin Luther King Jr., Montgomery, Ala., Dec. 31, 1955
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”—Martin Luther King Jr.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”—Martin Luther King Jr.
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”—Martin Luther King Jr.
Today in History
2001: Bill Clinton avoids indictment by admitting affair with Monica Lewinsky; 1981: U.S.-Iran agreement to release 52 U.S. hostages after 14 months; 1979: Former Atty. Gen. John Mitchell released after serving 19 months for Watergate crimes; 1974: Notre Dame breaks UCLA’s 88-game winning streak; 1966: Indira Ghandi becomes India’s prime minister; 1955: First TV presidential news conference; 1950: China recognizes North Vietnam; 1915: First air raid on Britain; 1809: Edgar Allan Poe born in Boston
We show who we really are when we think know one is watching... I think that goes along with "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
ReplyDeleteWhen we are challenged and questioned we know who we really are by how we deal with these situations.
Martin Luther King jr. did things to prove his love for people and what he wanted out of America. For that I will always love and respect him for what he did with his life.