Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era.
His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked
the conscience of a generation. The movements and marches
he led brought significant changes in the fabric of American
life through his courage and selfless devotion. This devotion
gave direction to thirteen years of civil rights activities.
His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and
old, in this nation and around the world.
Dr.
King's concepts of "somebodiness," which symbolized
the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation,
gave black and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. His
philosophy of nonviolent direct action, and his strategies
for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized
the conscience of this nation and reordered its priorities.
His wisdom, his commitment, his actions, his words, and his
dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American
experience.
