Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
Martin Luther King, Jr., was a Baptist minister. He led people to work against the bad treatment that African Americans in the U.S.A. got in the mid-1900’s. Until then, African Americans in many states were not allowed to go to the same schools as white people or buy houses in white neighbourhoods. Black people had to use different drinking fountains and sit in different areas of restaurants and cinemas, too. Many were treated violently.
King wanted to change this unfair treatment. He preached that people must learn to live together and that people should not like or dislike others because of the colour of their skin. He preached that violence is bad.
People threw stones at King and put him in jail for his words and actions. In 1968, a hidden rifleman shot and killed King.
Today, many people around the world have followed King’s ideas. In the U.S.A., people honour King by celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., Day on the third Monday in January.
Picture Credit : Google