Martin Luther King is one of the most prominent African American activists, born in Atlanta, Georgia, during a time of discrimination, violence, and mistreatment of black individuals. Just like his father, King became a Baptist minister at the prestigious Ebenezer Baptist Church. He started his activism early, promoting peaceful protests and equal rights from the get-go.

Martin Luther King recounts times when his playmates no longer hung out with him due to society’s view on segregation, his constant struggles as a black individual, highlighted by the continuous isolation and prejudice he faced. By his early teens, King cemented his undying persistence to eradicate racial segregation and push the need for equal civil rights from his time working with tobacco during one summer in the North. King talked about how peaceful and free the non-segregated North was compared to the much stricter South.

Martin Luther King later attended an impressive college, initially studying medicine before switching to become a priest. While working in a church, King met and married his wife, with whom he later had four children. During his studies, King found inspiration in teachings from Ghandi for his own activism, emphasizing a peaceful approach and applying it during his leadership of an organization dedicated to fighting for civil rights and ending segregation.

Later in his life, Martin Luther King gained widespread recognition, capturing nationwide attention with his famous “I have a dream” speech. Toward the end of his life, King fought to end segregation and succeeded, but not before losing his life in an assassination aimed at him. Martin Luther King’s influence on contemporary civil rights in America has solidified his place as one of the most important activists of the 21st century.