Martin Luther King's Birthday

INTRODUCTION

When Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, his life experiences were defined by his race. By both law and custom, he was a second-class citizen with few rights and fewer opportunities. King refused to accept the limitations and became a minister and later a major leader of the Civil Rights movement. He urged people to get involved in nonviolent protests. Eventually the movement led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed racial segregation.

POEM

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
By Myra Cohn Livingston

The dream
of Martin Luther King
will happen
in some far-off Spring

when winter ice
and snow are gone.
One day, the dreamer
in gray dawn

will waken
to a blinding light
where hawk and dove
in silent flight

brush wings together
on a street
still thundering
with ghostly feet.

And soul will dance
and soul will sing
and march with
Martin Luther King.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Livingston, Myra Cohn. 1985. CELEBRATIONS. Illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823405508

EXTENSION

Explain that the song “We shall overcome” became an unofficial anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. Sing it together.

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