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My Hero: Martin Luther King Inspirational, religious, oratory, patience, a martyr and a leader are words that describe my hero, Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King is highly recognized and remembered, not only by African Americans, but by all ethnicities. Although he is dead, he continues to linger in our hearts and minds. Even at school and in communities, he still lives on through the projects that are done about him; the celebrations in February; the holiday in his honor; and several streets and buildings that are named in his honor.
In his struggle for equality and justice, he encountered many obstacles, but was still able to lead a successful Civil Rights Movement. While fighting for the cause of making a better life for humans, predominantly African Americans, he lost his life on April 4th, 1968 when he was assassinated. His efforts to help mankind, is quite heroic and that’s why I call him my hero. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. Initially, his name was Michael L. King, which he changed to the renown, Martin Luther king.
He married, the love of his life, Coretta Scott King in 1953 while he was studying. This union brought them three children. He received his education at Moorehouse College, where he graduated at the tender age of 15 years, which is quite impressive. He also received his Ph. D at Boston Graduate Schools. Following in the footsteps of his father, Dr. King also became a minister of the gospel. In his early life, just like any other kid, he liked to fly kites, ride his bike and play baseball and football. He was also a paper boy. His mom taught him to read before he went to school.
Sadly though, he could not play with the white kids because of his color and this was the driving behind his struggle to end racism and foster freedom, liberty, equality, and justice. In the 1960s, King fought as a Civil Rights Activist against discrimination and segregation, in a time when segregation laws, like the Jim Crow Laws were present. These laws separated blacks from whites, meaning that blacks and whites ate in different restaurants, use different drinking fountains and bathrooms, attending different churches for praying.
In many instances African Americans were cursed, chased, lynched and killed, just because of the color of their skin. To get people to listen to his cause, King started a boycott of the buses by the black people in 1953. As a result, people tried to bomb his house in 1956, and in 1962, Martin Luther King Jr. was convicted of leading a march in Albany. Despite the struggles, King accomplished a lot. He was the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. He wrote the, “I Have a Dream Speech”, which was quite powerful. In 1958, he published a book called “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story”.
He also became the co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, his father’s old church, and moreover, he was a great civil rights leader. His persona in all these struggles was very calm for he believed in Gandhi, who said that love, not violence, was the most powerful weapon. Therefore, Martin Luther King is my hero because of his strength and determination to fight for a worthy cause. The fact the he was able rise above the challenges before him to help African Americans gain their rights in peaceful, non-violent means are great characteristics.