Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! A figurehead of the American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. was a proponent of civil disobedience and non-violent protest.

Persevering despite death threats, abuse, and arrest, he rose to the national stage, directing the 1963 March on Washington (where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech), advising U.S. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and becoming the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Did you know? King was a precocious child and began his college career early at the age of 15. Initially, he didn’t plan on becoming a minister like his father, but was inspired by his college president.

King loved jazz, gospel, and hymns and was surrounded by music throughout his life. During his childhood, he sang in the church choir and his mother served as music director and organist. His wife, Coretta Scott King, was a singer at the New England Conservatory of Music when the two first met. In later years, King gave an address on                                                                            the importance and power of jazz at the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival. 🎹🥁🎷

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King (cropped), Herman Hiller, New York World-Telegram & Sun, 1964

-Written by Anna Zemaitaitis, Communications and Design Officer