![]() “If we do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we will be a blind and toothless nation.”Ĭonstantly seeking revenge will inevitably lead to an endless downward spiral of destruction for all who are involved in that dynamic. It is a nearly impossible feat without love in one’s heart.ĥ. Friendships are built on acceptance and succeed because of forgiveness between two parties. It’s important to consider that even friends commit acts that you do not condone. MLK was encouraging us to look past the negative things that people have done to us. It takes true mental fortitude to establish trust with a perceived enemy. “ Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” It’s easy to notice the bigger aspects of an object or idea and miss the smaller pieces that comprise them.Ĥ. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”Įvery positive contribution - big or small - counts in the fight towards achieving equality. >Read: Inspired by MLK, Teens Say Civil Rights Movement Isn’t Overģ. Being passive and hoping for the best is no way to fight a problem that will cause exponential damage to the unity that so many civil rights activists have fought to achieve today and onward. This is MLK’s call-to-action to take an active role against injustices that are faced in society. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” King advised that those leading the charge on civil rights not let “bitterness and hatred” let their movement “degenerate into physical violence.” He encouraged his followers not to see their white supporters as enemies because Americans from all backgrounds and races need to act in solidarity.Ģ. It had been nearly a century since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, but Black Americans were far from being “free,” he proffered. While highlighting the racial injustices that Black Americans faced, MLK reminded the marchers that Jim Crow discrimination had ended legally - but not in practice. This quote is culled from perhaps his most memorable speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963. “I have a dream that one day, this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed… that all men are created equal.” Here are 10 quotes from across MLK’s life that represent what he stood for.ġ. Benjamin Mays, a strong advocate for racial equality and a renowned theologian, inspired him to join the ministry.Īs we celebrate MLK Day - on what would have been his 94th birthday - it’s important to acknowledge what the inspirational civil rights leader did for communities across the United States who face(d) racial discrimination – even today. He was a gifted student, who enrolled in Atlanta’s Morehouse College at the age of 15, to study medicine and law.īut MLK had no intention of following the path others imagined for him, instead becoming a pastor. He was a symbol of unity, hope, and peace for people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. was more than a social activist who, through his strong advocacy and rare brilliance, became America’s most celebrated symbol of racial justice and social progress. Memorial, featuring a portrait of the civil rights leader carved in granite, was dedicated by President Barack Obama in 2011. WASHINGTON DC – JULY 30, 2014: The Martin Luther King Jr.
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