The MLK Way
Today, as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. I thought I would share some small facts about Martin that you might not have known as well as share some people who are paving the way like Martin and things you can do, watch, listen to, or read on this day of service.
Fact 1: King got a C in public speaking at seminary school. King’s father, a preacher in Atlanta, thought his son was the best speaker he’d ever seen, before he went away to seminary school. But in his first year of seminary school in Chester, Pennsylvania, one of King’s professors gave him a C in a public speaking course! In his third and final year, King was valedictorian with straight A’s.
Fact 2: When King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, at the time he was the youngest Peace Prize winner ever, at the age of 35. Currently, Malala Yousafzai is the youngest winner on record; she was 17 when she won the prize in 2014. His acceptance speech in Norway included the famous statement, “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.”
Fact 3: King was imprisoned nearly 30 times. According to the King Center, the civil rights leader went to jail 29 times. He was arrested for acts of civil disobedience and on trumped-up charges, such as when he was jailed in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956 for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.
1. 8 Leaders Who Carry On Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy
3. How To Celebrate Martin Luther King’s Birthday In 2021
4. 10:30am ET - Beloved Community Commemorative Service
5. 10 Books To Understand Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy In 2021
6. MLK Speeches