Martin Luther King Jr.
Deonta Holt
September 6, 2013
Professional Leadership (PED 492)

Martin Luther King Jr. was not only a leader but a hero. He was a man with courage, a man who woke up dreaming of change, a man who risked his life just to make a life changing difference. He dreamed that one day man and woman, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics and even Jews would be treated equally. He dreamed that no matter your race or your sex you would get treated as well as the next. I chose to speak of a man who was devoted to a lot more than family; he was an activist who led in the Civil Rights Movement and helped advance civil rights using nonviolent but effective methods.
Martin Luther King Jr. also known as Dr. King was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, G.A. He went to Booker T. Washington High School and being so intelligent was able to skip both the ninth and the twelfth grades. From there attended Morehouse College at the age of fifteen not traditionally graduating high school. He successfully graduated from Morehouse with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1948. King’s journey led him to become the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1954 which is located in Montgomery, Alabama, when he was only at the age of twenty-five.
He was the leader of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and was involved in finding the (SCLC) Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, becoming its first president. Joined with the SCLC, Dr. King went through many trials and tribulations dealing with segregation in Albany, Georgia in the year of 1962. He put together nonviolent protests in the city of Birmingham that drew worldwide attention along with the police brutal reaction to the protest. After that, King organized the March on Washington in 1963, where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. At that time and moment, he made his reputation as one of the greatest legends in history.
In the year of 1964 on October 14, Martin Luther King Jr. earned the Nobel Peace Prize for successfully standing up for racial inequality without having to encourage violence. That following year in 1965, he and the SCLC got together the marches from Selma to Montgomery and after that moved the movement further up north to Chicago. Martin Luther King was blessed with several traits that helped him to stand strong in his beliefs. He was a patient man that said not one speech to end segregation all over America, not one march, not one sit in, or example, but several to stand up for this country. He tried multiple times to get his point across and he stood firm no matter who beat him, threatened him or even threw him in jail believing that one day his dream would be heard and one day his dream would come true.
He was a man who was selfless and cared more for this country than this country cared for him. He was brave to stand against millions of people who were against him. He made his message clear that he would fight until the end for equality no matter who tried to stop him or bring him down. He had faith in himself and faith in his believers and followers, he had faith in his vision and knew that even if he didn’t live to see his dream come through, what he did would forever carry on and live in America’s hearts.
Most of all, he was a leader passionate about what all he stood for. He did what no one else would do. He did what no one else had the guts to do. He took on that role and learned how to make decisions, plan for success, and manage those around him. King was persistent and never gave up no matter who tried to knock him down, even when he was arrested and locked inside Birmingham jail, when he was released he came on even stronger. He continued to push his ideas and beliefs on equality.
Everyone trusted King and knew that he would never lie to them or tell them anything that wasn’t true or something he couldn’t promise them to happen. He never tried to sell them hope he only tried to make them imagine what could be. He was a trustworthy