Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929, the son and grandson of Baptist ministers. A gifted student, he entered Morehouse College at fifteen and later earned a doctorate in theology from Boston University. Drawn to the teachings of Gandhi, he came to believe that nonviolent resistance was the most powerful weapon available to people seeking justice.

In 1955 King led the Montgomery bus boycott, a year-long protest that ended segregation on the city's buses and brought him national attention. As president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he organized peaceful campaigns across the American South. In 1963 he helped lead the March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd of some 250,000 people.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, King continued to press for voting rights, economic justice, and an end to poverty. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. His words and example continue to guide movements for equality around the world, and his dream remains a moral compass for generations.