Today we celebrate a man who was an important civil rights activist. We are all familiar with Martin Luther King Jr’s more prominent accomplishments; his I Have A Dream speech, Nobel Peace Prize award, and marches to name a few. So, I thought it would be fun if my students, in celebrating Dr King, did a research project on lesser known facts about him. Boy, did we have fun. In honor of his holiday today, I thought it would be great to share what we learned. Enjoy!
Did you know that…
* Martin Luther King’s birth name was not Martin, but was actually Michael.
* There are over 730 streets in the United States named after him.
* At the Atlanta premier of the movie Gone with the Wind, Martin sang with his church
choir.
* Martin entered college at the age of 15 because he skipped grades 9 and 11.
* He graduated with his Ph.D. at the age of 25.
* King was imprisoned nearly 30 times.
* He was a regular cigarette smoker. As a matter of fact, on the day King was killed, he
was out on the balcony for a smoke.
* He almost did not become a minister.
* Although King was known as an amazing public speaker, he got a C in public speaking
during his first year in seminary.
* He won a Grammy in 1971 for Best Spoken Word Album for “Why I Oppose the
War in Vietnam.”
As this day winds down, and your activities for the day comes to an end, carry Martin’s legacy of service throughout 2020 and beyond. In 1957, Dr. King delivered a speech in Montgomery, Alabama, in which he declared, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” Yes, let the end of today be a time of reflection, a reminder of the awesomeness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But, also let this time be a call to action; a reminder that our job of service is never done.