Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. (born Michael King, Jr. ; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American pastor , activist , humanitarian , and leader in the Civil Rights Movement . He was best known for improving civil rights by using nonviolent civil disobedience , based on his Christian beliefs. Because he was both a Ph.D. and a pastor, King is sometimes called the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. (abbreviation: the Rev. Dr. King), or just Dr King. [a] He is also known by his initials MLK . He was the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta , Georgia . King worked hard to make people understand that not only black people but that all races should always be treated equally to white people . He gave speeches to encourage African Americans to protest without using violence . Led by Dr. King and others, many African Americans used nonviolent, peaceful strategies to fight for their civil rights. These strategies included sit-ins , boycotts ,