A Radical Concept

     Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American pastor, leader, humanitarian and activist in the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He is best known for his advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. It was such a radical idea at the time and yet it had been on the Declaration of Independence for 200 years. The Idea that every man was created equal, this was the concept at the heart of everything Dr. King said and did. The United States Constitution says "We the People", that means all people, all colors and races. Dr. King was a very intelligent man and he was well aware of how the world worked. He maintained a policy of not publicly endorsing a U.S. political party or candidate: "I feel someone must remain in the position of non-alignment, so that he can look objectively at both parties and be the conscience of both—not the servant or master of either." In a 1958 interview, he expressed his view that neither party was perfect, saying, "I don't think the Republican party is a party full of the almighty God nor is the Democratic party. They both have weaknesses ... And I'm not inextricably bound to either" Dr. King was undoubtedly best known for his 17-minute long speech, later known as "I Have a Dream". The speech was delivered in 1963 in Washington DC. Dr. King also opposed the Vietnam War and connected the war with economic injustice, arguing that the country needed serious moral change. Dr. King's fight for justice and equality was a difficult one and his hard work came with a cost, he was often the target of rumors, assaults, FBI scrutiny and hatred. His civil rights efforts would eventually cost him his life. On April 4, 1968 he was shot in the head at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee. After emergency chest surgery, King was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital. According to biographer Taylor Branch, King's autopsy revealed that though only 39 years old, he "had the heart of a 60 year old", which Branch attributed to the stress of 13 years in the civil rights movement. In the words of President Jimmy Carter ..." He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet."- BDB

Source - (Google Images)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.