Martin Luther King Jr – Celebrating His Life and Activism

It is hard to believe that it is now fifty years since the world was rocked by the news that Martin Luther King had been assassinated. Even as a small boy at the time, I was aware of who King was and what he was trying to accomplish in terms of racial equality in the United States and further afield.
As an ordained Baptist minister, King held a strong conviction that all human beings were created in the image of God and, as such, should be treated with equality and fairness. In 1963, he made what was undoubtedly his most famous speech  (“I have a dream”) in which he outlined his vision for racial harmony. King put his own words into practice and was active in promoting this vision in many different ways, often in the face of opposition, which at times could be violent.
Martin Luther King realised that by taking the stance which he did his own life could be put in danger and he would ultimately pay the ultimate price for his convictions. As we remember him on the fiftieth anniversary of his passing, perhaps it is time to reflect on the legacy which he has left and to hope that work to build harmony among different nations and races throughout the world continues. King made a huge impact upon the more idealistic world of the 1960s and, hopefully, his death will not have been in vain, as we think of him at this time and give thanks for all that he accomplished in his life.
Martin Luther King Jr
15 Jan 1929 – 4 April 1968
> Colin McIlwaine