By then, King’s language had become stronger and more assertive, urging direct action to bring about change. In the year he died, he had just launched the Poor People’s Campaign, which appealed to impoverished people of all races, and sought to address the issues of unemployment, housing shortages and the impact of poverty on the lives of millions of Americans, white and Black.
However, less attention is paid to the words he spoke in the latter part of his life. He is also remembered for his urge to use nonviolence as the most effective form of protest (even when violence was threatened against him and his family), and his strong desire to bring about equality and civil rights for African Americans during the civil-rights movement. Most remember the speech he gave at the March on Washington in 1963, when he uttered those iconic words of American aspiration: “I have a dream…”.
Many will spend Monday as a day of service to others, staying true to his words that “everybody can be great…because anybody can serve.” The intention behind the holiday is to commemorate this great man’s life, and recommit to his call to fight for justice everywhere. Day, 50 years on from his assassination in 1968.
On January 15, the United States celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr.
