We hold your Dream in our hearts.... Happy Birthday Martin Luther King!

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King, Jr.    ~~~ We Love you! 

Thank you Dr. King for your courage and dedication to FREEDOM for everyone.

Today is a special day in observance of Martin Luther King (January 15, 1929 to April 4, 1968).  I would like to take this time to show my appreciation for Dr. King's Dream and the courage to follow through with all the struggles that he went through, for all different sectors of mankind.  I honor Dr. King for giving up his life so others would able to get a little taste of the Freedom that he marched and fought for.   

As we all know to some degree - Life is a struggle that we all face in our everyday activities.  We struggle with our Faith, our inner self, we struggle with our families from time to time, we struggle in love, we struggle with our diets, weigh and appearance, we struggle with our worth in the work place, in a conversation, and as a whole in this world.  Luckily not all of us end up losing our life over our struggles but some do.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one that fought and lost his life for his dream ~ for our dream.

This year is especially monumental to those of us that are King followers and/or dreamers --as we have a black man running for President.  Not only that, in this year election year.... we have a woman running! Just like the marching and sit-ins, this too is history! This is a part of MLK's dream... and This is special.  I wish Dr. King was here to witness this. Regardless to what your party is... this is a dream come true --- regardless to the outcome.

A little History of MLK:  Martin Luther King was born in 1929 in Atlanta, GA.  He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and was admitted to Morehouse College at the age of 15 (1944).  He graduated in 1948 from Morehouse and Crozer Theological Seminary.  He entered Boston University for graduate studies.  In 1953 he marries Coretta Scott and moves to Montgomery AL.  From 1955 to 1968 - Dr. King organized marches for civil rights and ended up being jailed on several occasions - almost every march! Trumped up charges and alligations.   November 22,1963 - was a sad year - President Kennedy was assassinated.  August 28, 1963 Dr. King's "I have a dream"speech was delivered. This speech is priceless....  July 2, 1964 the civil Rights Act was signed and on December 10, 1964 Dr King received the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35 - the youngest to received this prize at that time.

1968  Here's a few activities for that year (1968) prior to his assassination ~ on April 4th: On March 28, King lead a march that turns violent. Although there were incidents at the marches (name calling, spitting and throwing objects nothing life threatening).  This was the first time one of his events had turned violent. April 4, 1968:  I've Been to the Mountaintop speech was delivered - proved to be his last speech. At sunset on April 4, Martin Luther King, Jr. was fatally shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

After Dr. King's death - There are riots and disturbances in 130 American cities. There were twenty thousand arrests.  King's funeral on April 9 is an international event.  Within a week of the assassination, the Open Housing Act is passed by Congress. "We're all tied together in a single garment....."

1986 - November 2 - a National Holiday is declared in Dr. King's honor!!!  Now you see people taking off work, some companies are actually closed, you see streets named after Martin Luther King, and you have kids being taught what it means to have a dream..... ( a little history on this:  1994 the Martin Luther King Federal holiday act was signed into law.  1996- The Martin Luther King Federal holiday expired and remanded its program and activities to The King Center in Atlanta).  MLK Birthday is a day off for many. 

Here's to Dr. King and his movement, our movement ~~ his dream, our dream. Below are some links to the civil rights movement.  There are some great King supporters that are still fighting for what he stood for --- finishing the American Dream.  Of course, this is only a few of the events that have taken place in America in a struggle to let FREEDOM Ring and Live.

Click on the links below for more information on The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  

• History of the Holiday
• Biography of Martin Luther King
• Timeline: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Civil Disobedience
• King Assassination Conspiracy Theories
• The March on Washington
• Excerpt from the "I Have a Dream" Speech
• Martin Luther King Speeches
• Quotes from Martin Luther King
• Martin Luther King Quiz (for kids)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Crossword

I am a product of the South and grew up with the things that MLK was marching to change, so I know first hand what he was strugging for and what his dream was really about. That dream is instilled in me. While I spent my younger years (up to 8 yrs.) in the South, we ended up coming to California but the memories are there for a lifetime.  I remember when the signs read "whites only" or " no colored allowed".  When we moved from Arkansas I silently told myself I would never move back. The last memory I have is on our move out of having to use those torn down, back door, nevered cleaned bathrooms with that sign on the door~ "colored". I remember being called everything but "black".  

Of course after getting to California, I went to intergrated schools and had to learn that I was not inferior to anyone but I still had to pretty much keep it to myself.  Has it changed much?  Yes, in some areas and depending on the person you are with and what the situation is about.  In other cases, not much! 

Is the dream light dim in real estate, YES.  There are some agents that feel they are superior to others, there are clients that don't want to deal with other races, there are those that say they understand but they really have no intentions of understanding, because they feel they are above all this dreaming..... 

And on the brighter side, there are some really good people in all walks of life.  What do I do to keep on going and do the best job that I can regardless?  I have my Faith and my Dream....

Here are some of the other posts that I read on ActiveRain.  Some are personal experiences and some are not, but all are excellent tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King:  If you would like to add your post or one that you read, please let me know.

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