“Hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love.”
D r. Martin Luther King Jr.
This month, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and honor the memory of this
civil rights pioneer who dared to dream.
As we observe the holiday on Monday, let’s remember Dr. King’s vision for equality, dignity and respect to all human beings. King followed the non-violent protest philosophies of Gandhi and constantly reminded his
followers that their fight for equality would be victorious if they did not resort to bloodshed.
Between 1957 and 1968, King traveled more than six million miles and gave more than 2500 speeches,
while writing five books in support of civil rights and equality for all Americans. On Aug. 23, 1963, more than 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., where Dr. King led a peaceful march to support the passing of laws that guaranteed every American equal rights. It was on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that King delivered his legendary speech, “I Have a Dream.”
During his crusade, King was awarded five honorary degrees and was Time magazine’s man of the year for 1963. At the age of 35, he became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and donated his prize money of $54,123 to the civil rights movement.
King skipped the ninth and 11th grades in high school and was 15 when he entered Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1944. By 19, he had received a bachelor sociology.
Today, more than 700 U.S. streets are named for King, with almost one in every major city. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are the only other Americans whose birthdays are observed as a national holiday that is now combined as President’s Day.
On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis,
Tennessee, this man of peace was violently assassinated.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” King said. “I have a dream that my
four 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 …”
As we celebrate this holiday, we are celebrating the life and legacy of a man who brought
hope and healing to our nation. We honor the values he exemplified and remember his teachings
of courage, truth, respect, integrity, humility and service.
The Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club’s 17th annual community service awards will be held on Thursday, Jan. 22, from 6 to 9 p.m at Lucien’s Distinguished Catering in Berlin. For sponsorship opportunities and more information, visit the club’s website www.voorheesbreakfastrotary.org or call Nick Colanzi at (856) 435-6200.
