Today we celebrate the life of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. I'd like to encourage you to watch the video of his "I Have a Dream" speech given on August 28th, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; especially if you are taking a paid holiday today. Spend 20 minutes to remember the man who's life was sacrificed in pursuit of racial equality. Listen to his words, let them reverberate in your mind, and then spend a moment of silence to reflect on the courage and faith he demonstrated to the world during his short lifetime.
It was Abraham Lincoln who said, "You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence." So it was poignant that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would deliver his Swan Song on the steps of Lincoln's memorial on the west side of the National Mall in Washington D.C.. His courage, shown in the face of great discrimination, has earned him a place in eternity as one of the greatest men in U.S. history. Time Magazine named him the 1963 "Man of the Year" for his continued efforts in the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King was a man of deep faith and was pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. His dedication to God and to the unalienable rights of all men shone brightly as a beacon of hope for African Americans and countless others all over the world. On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated. I salute Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his faith, his courage and for furthering the civil rights movement during an extremely turbulent time in this nation's history.
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