In the United States, King’s birthday is observed as a national holiday on the third Monday in January. These experiences of discrimination led young Martin to work deeply for the cause of black people. He wrote a long treatise called ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ while he was jailed in Birmingham for 8 days. “Sometimes I feel like, why do I have to share my father with the world?” she said. Martin Luther King Jr. was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). When he thinks about the renewed threat of nuclear war amid tensions with North Korea, he remembers his father’s warning that the alternative to nonviolence is nonexistence. Since then, his four children, three of whom are alive today, have faced the challenge of growing up without their father and within his shadow, becoming their own people while carrying on his legacy and that of their mother, who died in 2006. B ernice King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., spent more than 30 years resisting her father’s teachings. Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated on January 20th, 1986. “I think it’s unrealistic to think that any one person can embody the legacy of Martin Luther King,” said Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. The law of ‘segregation’, also known as ‘Jim Crow Laws’ in the southern part of the United States that separated the black people from the white people. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King had four children: Yolanda, Martin Luther King III, Dexter, and Bernice. KidsPlayAndCreate.com is an Amazon Affiliate and may earn a small commission for products that are purchased through Amazon via our affiliate links. Legal action was then taken against the city ordinance by the activists.


“I think a culture of nonviolence will help create the condition where poverty is unacceptable, where racism is way behind us and not something that we have to deal with on a frequent basis, and where militarism and violence are reduced almost to be nonexistent,” he told TIME. © 2010-2020 Parenting.FirstCry.com. I believe and subscribe to these things from the depth of my soul.”. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very smart little boy. Wornie Reed, director of the Race and and Social Policy Center at Virginia Tech and a participant in the civil rights movement, echoes that idea. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968, a tragic end for someone who fought for human rights all his life. He was a minister and was an important leader and activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Black people had different schools and toilets. In 1957 along with other civil rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to organize and conduct non-violent protests for civil rights. He was in Tennessee to lead a peaceful march to support local sanitation workers. Mrs. King was shot and killed during morning service while she was playing the organ. Read these facts to your kids to teach him about this great man. was an important leader and activist in the Civil Rights Movement. They’ve each done that in their own ways, switching off as leaders of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and speaking out on issues from gun control and voting rights to climate change and President Trump’s rhetoric. “Initially, I rejected him. Martin Luther King Junior was an American pastor, activist, and humanitarian. Fall/Autumn Facts for Kids 2020, What is an Adjective? Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January. All Rights Reserved. His time spent in prison did not go in vain. Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize in October 1964.
What Are the Right Clothes to Wear When Pregnant? A Baby Alive Review, The Best Soothers and Sound Machines for Baby and Toddlers, The Best Baby Bottle Sterilizers on the Market, Best Toddler Potty Seats Available on the Market, Top 10 Ways you can Encourage Good Homework Habits for Elementary Students, Create a Thanksgiving Dinner Worksheet for Kids, Can Turkeys Fly? In 1955 he took leadership of the Montgomery Bus Boycott where Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat and moving to the back of the bus for a white man. “It wasn’t because he was saying people need to ride at the front of buses or be able to sit down and buy hamburgers anywhere they want.”. Martin Luther King and African-American civil rights activists protested for 381 days before the court of law finally ruled out the segregation law. Over 1,000 streets are named after Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. Martin Luther King Jr. skipped the 9th and 12th grades and entered college at the age of 15. Black people also didn’t have suffragette. In the course of his education, he skipped ninth and twelfth grade. These discriminations affected him greatly. By signing up you are agreeing to our, Biden Takes Lead in Pennsylvania and Georgia, Trump Struggles to Face the Possibility He Lost, Breonna Taylor Grand Jurors 'Livid' at AG, America Had a Reckoning on Race This Year.

About Privacy Policy Resources Copyright © 2020 KidsPlayandCreate, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential and important figures in U.S history. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, How Martin Luther King Jr.'s Children Are Carrying on His Legacy 50 Years After His Death. Martin Luther King Jr. with other civil rights activists will go on to lead many non-violent protests for civil rights around the country. He also took a firm stance against the Vietnam War. Bernice King said that most years, she spends the day quietly, processing her emotions. Civil Rights Movement: A mass protest that took place in the late 1950s through the 1960s  African Americans fought to end discrimination and receive the same equal rights and have access to the same opportunities as white citizens. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”, “The quality, not the longevity of one’s life is what is important.”, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”, “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. These facts cover will help you tell your kids about Martin Luther’s early life, education, and his role as a civil rights activist. Should you have any concerns about your health, or of that of your baby or child, please consult with your doctor.

In February 1959 Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to India to study Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of non-violence. Here are 15 facts about Martin Luther King Junior you can tell your kids. He graduated and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. You also acknowledge that owing to the limited nature of communication possible on interactive elements on the site, any assistance, or response you receive is provided by the author alone. At Crozer, he received a degree in Divinity (religious studies). Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com. Many African-American children look up to him as an idol who taught them how to fight for their rights. On Wednesday, King’s children will lay wreaths at their parents’ crypt, as bells toll 39 times to symbolize each year their father lived. At times, Martin Luther King Jr.’s children have faced criticism for choices they have made about how to allow his words or image to be used; for example, a Super Bowl commercial for Dodge trucks this year sparked backlash among viewers who thought it distorted King’s message for commercial gain. It is one of the most observed speeches in history. These were some facts about Martin Luther King Junior. He felt that it was wrong to be judged by the color of your skin. On that day, many Americans volunteer at shelters, schools, hospitals, and other community organizations to honor the civil rights leader’s legacy of … In 1955 he graduated from Boston University with a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology and earned the title of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott meet each other while attending school in Boston. You can unsubscribe at any time. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential and important figures in U.S history. All 50 states did not recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day at a paid day off holiday until 2000. This website is a resource for those who want to have fun, build self esteem and teach their kids how to lead happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted a year and on November 13th, 1956 the supreme court declared segregation on buses was unconstitutional.

This year, the holiday falls on King’s actual birthday and marks 89 years since he came into the world. Martin Luther King Jr. was very passionate about his beliefs in equal rights for all people. Martin Luther King Jr. then went to Crozer Theological Seminary located in Chester Pennsylvania. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January. Interesting Facts and Information About Martin Luther King Jr. for Children, Interesting Facts About Abraham Lincoln For Kids, 40 Hilarious Christmas Jokes for Kids to Chuckle, Tips to Choose a Safe Bug Spray for Babies and Kids, Memorial Day for Kids- History, Significance and Facts, How to Set Up a Montessori Bedroom for Your Child, Montessori Curriculum and Its Implication In Homeschooling, Montessori-Inspired Toys for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers, It’s Okay If You Aren’t a Super Mom Who Knows Everything. She was murdered on June 30th, 1974 by then, 23-year-old Marcus Wayne Chenault who felt that Christians were his enemy. The Election Showed How Little Has Changed, Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2020 TIME USA, LLC. During these protests, Luther King followed the path of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and urged the activists to demonstrate peaceful protests even when they were met with violence demonstrated by the police. However, later on, his father changed his name to Martin Luther king. Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on Nov. 2, 1983, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday that occurs around the time of King’s birthday each year on the third Monday of January. “All of the people who admired King and have studied him collectively have a responsibility for keeping his legacy alive.

This Awe-dorable 4-Year-Old’s Rendition of Maa Tujhe Salaam is Winning People’s... Martin Luther King was born to African-American parents in the year 1929 in the United States of America. He believed that all people should be created equal regardless of the color of their skin. “And then I come back to a place where I say, you know what, if you had to do all this over again … I would still have the story be the same. October 14th, 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest man (age 35) to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through non-violence. “What I didn’t want to be is a mini-Martin Luther King Jr., in the sense that I was just spouting out these things from my head,” she said. His 9-year-old daughter, Yolanda Renee King, the only grandchild of Martin Luther King Jr., spoke at the March for Our Lives last month to call for an end to gun violence. At the mere age of 15, he got admitted to Morehouse College even without any formal high school graduation degree. His older sister’s name was Christine and his younger brother’s name was Alfred Daniel. This was the church she grew up attending. Your use of this site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use. He is known for his positive role in the development of civil rights.