Monday, January 21, 2008

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated by a single gunshot wound to the neck whle standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; and he later died in St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Today we celebrate the birth of Dr. King, who was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia.

There are few men who have impacted Western Civilization to the same degree as Dr. King. His place in history is well-deserved and his veneration is underwhelming.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1964, and is considered a hero around the world. Possibly moer outside the United States than he is in his own country.

Those who choose to minimize his imoprtance, or denigrate his legacy, must do so out of ignorance, for he was truly a great man and an example to us all.

if you don't know his story, please read this chronolgy, from the King Center website.
Photo of MLK statue in the nave of Westminster Abbey.  Nicked from the westminster-abbey.org site.  Used without permission.  Forgiveness is begged.


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I was eleven when he was shot, and just coming to political awareness. Nevertheless, even as a younger grade school kid, I was fascinated by the sound of his voice. When there were clips from his speeches on the news, I'd listen - at a time in my life when I normally never watched anything on the news.

Just his voice - to say nothing of his deeds! - was a tremendous gift. It was absolutely the greatest, most powerful and truly righteous voice I'll ever hear in my lifetime.