National Holiday
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and one of the most impactful Civil Rights activists in the 1960s. He was a leader who believed in nonviolent, peaceful protest to end racial segregation and provide people of all races with opportunities for a better life. Every third Monday in January, we as Americans honor one of the most important leaders of our modern time.
Today, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice and for putting his life on the line for racial equality and the advancement of African-Americans. This year, take some time to learn about Dr. King’s mission, and discover some ways to continue his legacy in your everyday life.
Martin Luther King Jr. set ablaze a national movement that addressed federal voting rights for African Americans. King organized an initial march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital building in Montgomery but did not participate himself. Protesters were turned back by state authorities with nightsticks and tear gas, the day later becoming known as “Bloody Sunday.”
On April 4, 1968, King was gunned down on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. James Earl Ray, an escaped white convict, pleaded guilty to his murder the following year and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.
support the movement
Join a state chapter and help us bring conservative solutions to Black communities and expose the failures of liberal policies that have kept Blacks trapped in cycles of dependency and limited progress.
