Dr. Martin Luther King was born on Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second child of Martin Luther King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher. The house he was born in on 501 Auburn Ave., in Atlanta is open to the public and managed by the National Park Service.
This past summer, I had an opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to visit the MLK Memorial established back in 2011. Located at 1964 Independence Ave. SW, it is an impressive statue made of granite.
I observed the glints of sunlight as it shone down on the MLK statue and thought about his famous dream.
I later made my way to the steps of the famous Lincoln Memorial. This was the place where MLK delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on Aug. 28, 1963.
“I have a dream,” he said, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
It is difficult to comprehend how both Abraham Lincoln and MLK were taken from us by bullets from assassins nearly a century apart. They both fought for the freedom of all people in this country. Both paid with their lives to do what was right.
The National Park Service later engraved MLK’s words “I Have a Dream” in these steps in the same place where Abraham Lincoln is memorialized. It seemed very fitting and appropriate. I had never noticed it before. Look for the words if you visit D.C. sometime.
MLK had a dream that we could end Jim Crow laws, end segregation and all live together in unity. He was a driving force behind the Civil Rights Movement.
On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy encouraged a more robust Civil Rights Act. He said, “This nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts will not be fully free until all its citizens are free.”
A week later, he submitted the Civil Rights Act to Congress.
Kennedy would sadly not live long enough to see this impactful piece of legislation pass. He was struck down by an assassin’s bullet in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, 1963.
Nevertheless, MLK persevered and continued his advocacy for passage of the bill and on July 2, 1964, he proudly stood behind President Lyndon Johnson as he signed the National Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Just four years later, MLK himself was struck down by an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee. Just the night before, he met with striking sanitation workers and their families to give his “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech where he prepared people saying, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead.”
He left behind a widow Coretta Scott King and four children. He was just 39 years old when he was cut down.
For those who may not know, the Lorraine Motel now serves as the home to the National Civil Rights Museum.
Four days after MLK was shot, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan introduced the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday bill on April 8, 1968. This was to establish King’s birthday as a national holiday.
The bill failed that first year. Conyers was undeterred and kept introducing the bill to be considered in the House of Representatives every year for the next 14 years.
Along the way he gained additional support from other members of Congress but nevertheless kept falling short of the necessary votes.
In 1979, despite then-President Jimmy Carter’s advocacy, the bill failed by just five votes.
This shortfall was frustrating to supporters. People like the famous Grammy Award-winning singer Stevie Wonder who wrote the song “Happy Birthday” to advocate support for the MLK Holiday bill. The single was released on his “Hotter than July” album in 1981.
An excerpt of the song’s lyrics:
“I just never understood
How a man who died for good
Could not have a day that would
Be set aside for his recognition”
President Ronald Reagan eventually signed on Nov. 2, 1983, the bill to establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday.
Coretta Scott King, widow of the late MLK, proudly stood behind Reagan as he signed the bill. MLK’s birthday finally became a federal holiday on Jan. 15, 1986.
Four years later in 1990, Yolanda Denise King, the eldest daughter of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King, was invited by the Oregon State Legislature to come to Salem to give a short speech during the MLK birthday observance.
Jan. 15, 2024, is now the 38th observance of MLK’ birthday. It took a lot of time, struggle, dreams and lives to overcome many obstacles to make it possible.
While much has been overcome, sadly, hate still resides in our world. Just last month, a woman stepped onto the porch of MLK’s birthplace in Atlanta and doused it with gasoline. Her intent was to light it on fire. Two off-duty police officers stopped her from igniting the gasoline and were able to save the home without any further damage.
In the words of Dr. King: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
Hopefully the suspect can get the help she needs.
On Jan. 2, Yolanda Renee King, the only granddaughter of MLK and Coretta Scott King, and daughter of their eldest son, MLK III, released a new children’s book called “We Dream a World.” She wrote the book as a love letter to her late grandparents in hopes of keeping the dream alive.
In the book she answers the question “How will you honor your grandparents legacy? The answer is simple. We keep your dreams alive by planting our dreams, like trees in an orchard, to be nurtured by tomorrow’s gardeners.”
Love of Learning purchased a copy of the new book and donated it to the Philomath branch of Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. Assuming it passes muster from the librarian’s initial review, it will be added to the collection and available for circulation sometime soon. I encourage anyone who is interested in this beautiful book to go check it out.
For those who may be interested, the Oregon State University athletic department is also partnering with the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library to offer an MLK Day of Service storytime at Reser Stadium from 2-3 p.m. Monday.
This event pairs Beaver student athletes with children up to age 5 and will be held in the Coastal Club at Reser Stadium. This is Oregon State’s way of keeping the dream alive. More information about the event is available online.
Happy Birthday Dr. King, It has been 95 years since you were born. Even though you only lived 39 years, your spirit has most certainly lived on the last 56 years through the power of your strong words and the remarkable actions of both you and your resilient family. We are grateful for your sacrifice. You made a positive impact in our world and our nation.
It is now up to all of us to keep your dream alive.
(Eric Niemann is a former mayor and city councilor in Philomath. He can be reached at Lifeinphilomath@gmail.com)