Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. lived a fairly short but very fulfilled life. He was an African American activist, and he was a strong leader of the civil rights movement. Today, he is referred to as a human rights icon. He became a civil rights activist early on in his career. It started when he led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. Then in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a leader of the March on Washington, which is where he presented his "I have a dream" speech. The speech was mostly explaining his take on civil rights, and shared his vision that black and white people should have racial equality. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He was awarded with it in 1964 for his attempts to end racial segregation and discrimination, and for promoting it under nonviolent terms. He was an especially inspiring speaker. Martin Luther King, Jr. sadly ended his life on April 4, 1968. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. He was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, Congressional Gold Medal in 2004, and he was also honored with a U.S. national holiday in 1986, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.