Born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr.’s childhood was deeply rooted in faith and community leadership, which planted the seeds in his psyche for his ever-optimistic attitude. Incidentally, MLK Jr was greatly inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence as he grew to become a central figure in the fight against racial segregation and injustice in America. He first gained national prominence during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 in Alabama, sparked by Rosa Parks’ arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. He continued to lead several peaceful protests and delivered some of the most iconic speeches in modern history, the most prominent of them all being the legendary “I Have a Dream” speech in August 1963 on the conclusion of the March on Washington. The following year he became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, at the time. His abrupt death in 1968 cut short his life but his philosophy, words and compassion continue to live on through the decades.
