“I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land! And so I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”
These lines are from King’s last speech, which took place at Mason Temple. There he was speaking against the unsafe working conditions and unequal pay African American sanitation workers received. On Thursday, April 4, 1968 King was shot dead in the balcony of Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was staying.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael Luther King Jr., on January 15, 1929. His father and grandfather were both pastors at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. King himself was a Baptist minister and a social activist; being a leader in the Civil Right Movements, he fought hard to end Racial Prejudice in USA. Being a man of high intellect, King entered college at age 15 and received his PhD in Systematic Theology, in 1955, from Boston University.
Receiver of Nobel Peace Prize, King, led a rather controversial life; he fought to get African Americans, equal rights as the whites, by entirely following non-violence civil disobedience which complemented his Christian beliefs. He was the target of several assassination attempts, was arrested 29 times and was under FBI surveillance for his work. On the other hand, King was suspected to have Communist ties and was said to have several extra marital affairs during his marriage to Coretta Scott King. No matter what his personal life, King will be remembered for exemplary civil work and of course his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
Now, let’s move forward and check out 10 of King’s most inspiring quotes to commemorate January 15th, Martin Luther King Day, which FYI is the only public holiday kept after someone who wasn’t a president.
Kelvin Stiles is a tech enthusiast and works as a marketing consultant at SurveyCrest – FREE online survey software and publishing tools for academic and business use. He is also an avid blogger and a comic book fanatic.