Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Today is earmarked for people to remember Martin Luther King Jr., an American who is perhaps best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using the technique of nonviolent civil disobedience. In 1986 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was designated a federal holiday in America.  In 1964 King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to combat racial inequality through nonviolence. Who knows the number of streets in the United States that have been named for King or renamed in his honor. In 2011 a memorial statue on the National Mall was opened to the public. Reportedly, he was named Michael King at birth, but his father renamed him in honor of the German reformer Martin Luther. I've often wondered if or how his name impacted King's mindset. His life does give one pause. Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you were willing to march for it? King was willing to die for what he believed. The tragedy is that he had to do so . . .