Celebrate the late Dr. Martin L. King Jr.

Today is a great day for many Americans. It's a national holiday for a civil rights leader, Dr. Martin L. King Jr. He was first of all a preacher, the son of a preacher, and the grandson of a preacher- all served the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was trained at Morehouse College in Atlanta(a leading Black College in the nation) and Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, and he received his PhD in Systematice theology from Boston University.

African Americans or Blacks were denied equal rights in the South. They had known laws that prohibited Blacks from mixing with white people. Those laws were known as "Jim Crow Laws." Blacks were not allowed to share any facilities with the whites.For example,I remember we couldn't eat in the same restaurant, the water fountains were label, white only and black only. The same thing applied to the rest rooms,and we couldn't ride in the same part of the bus.We had to sit in the back of the bus even if there were sits available in the front, we weren't allow to sit there. Yet, the young blacks could serve in the military, yet weren't respected in their home, the deep south.

Dr. King saw a need for a change. He believed his concern for civil rights grew directly from his faith. He used the nonviolent approach that was similar to what happened in the early church where the Greek-speaking had problem with those who spoke Hebrew. The Greek speakers complained that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. This was brought to the attention of the apostles, they acknowledge it and corrected it. Dr. King believed that if he could show that blacks were being treated unjustly the Supreme Court would respond.

He led many demonstrations as he proved to the nation that black people were being treated injustice. Many people throughout these United States were a part of the demonstrations. It was an honor to be a part of the civil rights movement following the leadership of the late Dr. Martin L. King Jr. So, today we celebrate the legacy that you left for us. Annie Dennis Eskridge, author of Sin Abides.....www.ruthplace.com