Continue to Hollywoodlife () SKIP AD
Hollywood Life Logo Image

Hollywood Life

Today's Top Stories

  • Wendy Williams & Lizzo
    News

    Wendy Williams Calls Lizzo’s Thong Outfit At Lakers Game ‘Just Wrong’

  • 'Outlander'
    5 Things

    Jack Burns: 5 Things To Know About The Child Actor & Ballet Dancer, 14, Who Has Died

  • jordan cara maria the chalelnge
    Exclusive Interview

    ‘The Challenge’: Jordan Reveals Why He Has ‘Beef’ With Cara Maria & Where He Stands With Paulie

Hollywood Life
  • Home
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Celebrity Bios
  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Portrait Series
  • Celebrity News
  • World News
  • Exclusives
  • Politics
  • Celebrity Babies
  • Opinions
ALL NEWS
  • Charlize Theron

    Charlize Theron Accidentally Flashes Her Friends & Screams When Her Robe Slips Open — Watch

  • ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star Brittany Cartwright Reveals Whether She’s Really Pregnant: ‘I’m Super Excited’

  • Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt Reveals Tips For Pet Adoption This Holiday Season — Watch

  • Award Shows
  • At The Movies
  • TV
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Holidays
  • Entertainment Features
  • Podcast
  • Quiz
  • Oscar Contenders
ALL ENTERTAINMENT
  • Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez May Both Be Releasing New Albums In 2020 & Fans Are ‘Shaking’

  • Fat Joe Celebrates Cardi B & More Music Legends Who Join Him On Retirement Album ‘Family Ties’ 

  • ‘Ghosting’ Stars Reveal Their Reactions To The Surprise Ending: ‘It Was Pretty Shocking’

  • Taylor Swift
  • Rihanna
  • Selena Gomez
  • Kim Kardashian
  • Kylie Jenner
  • Kendall Jenner
  • Justin Bieber
  • Miley Cyrus
  • Gigi Hadid
  • Khloe Kardashian
  • Jennifer Lopez
  • Angelina Jolie
  • Harry Styles
  • Kourtney Kardashian
ALL CELEBRITY BIOS
  • Charlize Theron

    Charlize Theron Accidentally Flashes Her Friends & Screams When Her Robe Slips Open — Watch

  • Tori Spelling, 46 & Mom Of 5, Proves She’s Still Sexy By Showing Off Her Incredible Legs In Bathing Suit

  • Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez May Both Be Releasing New Albums In 2020 & Fans Are ‘Shaking’

  • Fragrance
  • Hair Care
  • Health
  • Makeup
  • Nails
  • Beauty Features
  • Skincare
  • Makeover
  • Fitness
  • Diet
ALL BEAUTY
  • Bella Hadid

    Bella Hadid’s Hair Makeover: Ditches Long Hair & Debuts Short Wavy Bob – Before & After Pics

  • Kristin Chenoweth Reveals How She Deals With Chronic Pain After Near-Career-Ending Injury

  • Charlize Theron’s Hair Stylist Reveals Inspiration Behind Her Iconic Bowl Cut

  • Red Carpet
  • Weddings
  • Who Wore it Better?
  • Fashion Features
ALL FASHION
  • Tori Spelling, 46 & Mom Of 5, Proves She’s Still Sexy By Showing Off Her Incredible Legs In Bathing Suit

  • Millie Bobby Brown, 15, Looks Grown Up With Sleek Updo At Beauty Inc. Awards — See Pic

  • Kim Kardashian Shows Off Curves In Bodycon Dress & 30 Times KarJenners Wore Skintight Looks

  • Share This Article
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print
  • Talk
Next Up

BTS’ RM & V Jam To Ansel Elgort’s ‘Supernova’ — Trio Shows Off Their Epic Dance Moves

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Newsletters
  • Search Close

Trending

  • Bonnie Says
  • Celeb Babies
  • TV
  • Celeb Galleries
  • Selena
  • Eminem
Search

NewsExpand Menu

  • Celebrity News
  • World News
  • Exclusives
  • Politics
  • Celebrity Babies
  • Opinions

EntertainmentExpand Menu

  • Entertainment Features
  • TV
  • Award Shows
  • At The Movies
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Podcast
  • Quiz

Portrait SeriesExpand Menu

    BeautyExpand Menu

    • Fragrance
    • Hair Care
    • Health
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Skincare
    • Beauty Features
    • Fitness
    • Diet

    FashionExpand Menu

    • Red Carpet
    • Weddings
    • Who Wore it Better?
    • Fashion Features

    TrendingExpand Menu

    • Bonnie Says
    • TV
    • Celeb Galleries
    • Selena
    • Eminem

    About UsExpand Menu

    • About Us
    • Writer Bios
    • Scoops, Tips & Corrections
    • Subscribe To Newsletter
    • Contact Us

    Celebrity ProfilesExpand Menu

    • Kim Kardashian
    • Kylie Jenner
    • Justin Bieber
    • Selena Gomez
    • Taylor Swift
    • Rihanna
    • Kendall Jenner
    • Miley Cyrus
    • Gigi Hadid
    • Jennifer Lopez
    • Angelina Jolie
    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Newsletters
    Alerts & Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • Scoops & Corrections
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your CA Privacy Rights
    • Ad Choices
    • Data Policy
    © 2019 Penske Media Corporation
    • News
    • World News
    • Martin Luther King Jr.
    5 Things
    January 15, 2018 10:11AM EST
    Hollywood Life

    Martin Luther King Jr.: 5 Things To Know About The Activist & Civil Rights Leader

    REX/Shutterstock
    MLK Day 2016
    MLK Day 2016
    MLK Day 2016
    MLK Day 2016 View Gallery View Gallery 26 Photos.
    Samantha Wilson
    Political News Editor
    • Share This Article
    • Reddit
    • LinkedIn
    • WhatsApp
    • Email
    • Print
    • Talk

    It’s important to know the man you’re celebrating this Martin Luther King Jr. day! Learn five important facts about the incredible civil rights leader here.

    1. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, making him a household name: in Jim Crow-era south, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. The Montgomery Bus Boycott followed, led by Martin Luther King Jr. (then just 26 years old) and civil rights activist E.D. Nixon, which lasted for an astounding 385 days. The boycott was met with such fury and opposition by White southerners that King’s house was bombed in 1956. He was not home at the time, but wife Coretta Scott King and their daughter were there, along with family friends. It was during the bus boycott that King was arrested for the first time. The boycott eventually ended, and successfully, with the United States District Court ruling in Browder v. Gayle; the ruling ended segregation on ALL Montgomery public buses.

    2. He wrote the famous Letter from Birmingham Jail: King was an integral part of the Birmingham campaign in 1963, a series of marches and sit-ins against racism and segregation in Alabama. The nonviolent protests were met with a blanket injunction against “parading, demonstrating, boycotting, trespassing and picketing,” and severe violence, including getting blasted with fire hoses and attacked by police dogs. The injunction was ignored by the leaders of the campaign, including King. Thus, he was arrested (his 13th), along with other leaders.

    Angered by what he read about the protests in a newspaper smuggled into the jail by one of his allies, King wrote an open letter deriding the falsehood that their protests were inciting violence, and calls by clergymen that “parading, demonstrating, boycotting, trespassing and picketing” should be done in court, not in the streets. You can read the full letter HERE.

    3.  He won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize: King became the youngest person to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize, in 1964 at the age of 35. He announced that he would be giving his prize money, $54,123, to the “furtherance of the civil rights movement.”

    4. He led the 1963 March on Washington: King was one of the “Big Six” leaders who organized what was then the biggest protest in Washington, DC, The March on Washington on August 28, 1963. The other five were Roy Wilkins from the NAACP;Whitney Young, National Urban League; A. Philip Randolph, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; John Lewis, SNCC; and James L. Farmer Jr., of the Congress of Racial Equality. The march was initially opposed by President John F. Kennedy, who feared that it would hurt support for the passage of civil rights legislation.

    The Big Six changed his mind, and got presidential support to move on with the protest. The protestors had specific demands for the government: a call for the end of racial segregation in public schools; a law prohibiting racial discrimination in employment; protection of civil rights workers from police brutality; a $2 minimum wage, and more.

    5. During the March he delivered the famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech: during the March on Washington, King gave a 17-minute speech at the Lincoln Memorial, now known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, because of its most famous passage. It’s considered one of the best speeches in US history. Here’s just a sampling of it:

    I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
    I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’
    I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
    I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
    I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
    I have a dream today.
    I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
    I have a dream today.

    HollywoodLifers, did you learn something new about Martin Luther King Jr. today? Let us know!

    Click to Subscribe to Our HollywoodLife Daily Newsletter to get more celeb news.
    • Share This Article
    • Reddit
    • LinkedIn
    • WhatsApp
    • Email
    • Print
    • Talk
    Martin Luther King Day Martin Luther King Jr.

    More Martin Luther King Jr. News:

    • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2018: What Stores & Restaurants Are Open & Closed?
    • CNN’s Jeffrey Lord Compares Trump To Martin Luther King & Rightfully Shut Down
    • Martin Luther King Day: His Daughter Shares Touching Birthday Tribute -- See Pic

    Most Read

    Kendall Jenner Shows Off Christmas Decorations Inside $8.5 Million Mansion After Kim's Got Dissed -- Watch

    Kendall Jenner

    Chris Brown Confirms Birth Of Baby Boy & Shares Adorable 1st Photo With Newborn

    chris brown ammika harris son pic

    Wendy Williams Calls Lizzo's Thong Outfit At Lakers Game 'Just Wrong': 'There's A Time & Place'

    Wendy Williams & Lizzo

    Ammika Harris Gets Pampered With A Wavy New Hairstyle After Giving Birth to Chris Brown's Baby

    Selena Gomez's Hair Makeover: She Shows Off Bangs & Longer Locks -- Before &After Pics

    Selena Gomez

    Have news, pics or video on a breaking news story?

    Send us your Tip

    More From Our Brands

    • Reese Witherspoon Recounts Her Humble Path to Hollywood Mogul: 'I Was a New Mom, and I Was Broke'
      SheKnows

      Reese Witherspoon Recounts Her Humble Path to Hollywood Mogul: 'I Was a New Mom, and I Was Broke'

      3 hours ago
    • Kendall Jenner Basically Confirmed Harry Styles Is Her Ex & Here’s When They Dated
      StyleCaster

      Kendall Jenner Basically Confirmed Harry Styles Is Her Ex & Here’s When They Dated

      4 hours ago
    • Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas to Produce Reality Competition Series at Amazon Inspired By Their Indian Wedding
      TVLine

      Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas to Produce Reality Competition Series at Amazon Inspired By Their Indian Wedding

      3 hours ago
    • See Exclusive Clip From New Doc ‘Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records’
      Rolling Stone

      See Exclusive Clip From New Doc ‘Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records’

      2 hours ago
    • How to Watch and Livestream the 2020 SAG Awards
      IndieWire

      How to Watch and Livestream the 2020 SAG Awards

      4 hours ago

      HollywoodLife

      • About Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Careers
      • Scoops & Corrections
      • Contact Us

      Legal

      • Privacy Policy
      • Your CA Privacy Rights
      • Ad Choices
      • Privacy Preferences
      • Terms of Use
      • Data Policy

      News

      • Celebrity News
      • World News
      • Exclusives
      • Celebrity Babies

      Connect

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • Instagram
      • YouTube
    SheKnows Media - Entertainment
    © Copyright 2019 HollywoodLife, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC.
    Powered by WordPress.com VIP
    ad