Martin Luther King Jr. I have a dream That one day This nation will rice up And live up the true meaning And it's free We hold this trues To be self evidence That all men are created to be Martin Luther King Jr. 1963 Written by: Elna Andersson 8:6 1999-05-30 Index Martin Luther King Jr. Coretta and Martin Need for a change Rosa Parks The boycott It spreads The March to Washington in 1963 His death Hard words Source Martin Luther King Jr. He was a very brave human being. He was born on the 15th of January 1929, to the parents of Alberta Williams King and Martin Luther King, in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is a town far down in the south of America. Martin was called ML by his parents, grandparents and brother and sister and by all his friends. They called him ML during his whole childhood. ML flew through the school with high grades and by the time he was 15 he was enrolled* in the Morehouse College, that's located in his hometown. 1948 he graduated and he choose to go the same way as his father had done. He wanted to be a minister. ML`s father was a reverend* in the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and ML had a strong position in the black society*. The church plays a big role in the black peoples life in the south of America. The strong believing is a source to inspiration* and consolation* for the people after six tuff and hard working days. The young ML was always happy to learn things. When he was little and the whole family was in the church, and listened to a guestpreacher, ML said: "One day I hope I can say such good words, and make those words come true". Martin had to deal with the racism when he was a little boy and even when he was a grownup. Coretta and Martin Coretta came from the south just like Martin did, but she came from Alabama. She had got a scholarship* so she could study music at a conservatory* in New England. Then she worked halftime to make her living. The last thing she thought of was marriage and kids, she wonted a carrier and after that, then she could get married and have kids. First she thought that Martin was too short, but the more they were together, the more she liked him. Martin could not think that a beautiful and charmy lady like Ms. Scott could start to like him. The 18th of June 1953 Martin and Coretta were married by Martin's father in Coretta´s home in Marion. They lived in Boston fore a while and Martin and Coretta finished their studies and after that, Martin looked fore a job. He liked the school-environment and he wanted to teach theology, at some colleges or at a university, but first he wanted to work a while as a reverend. The best offer Martin got was from the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. The congregation* needed a now reverend. In September 1954 Coretta and Martin moved to Montgomery to the reverandshouse. Martin started to work at half past five in the mornings and worked three hours with his doctorsgraduate. Then he took his car in to the town and worked in the church with family counsulaing*, officiated marriages and funerals and give evidence to business matter or in front of a jury. Martin was very popular in his congregation. He was a good preacher and his sermons* were just great. He showed that he was a good speaker and a fine man. Sometimes he spoke loudly and sometimes you needed to really concentrate* to hear him. Everybody knew him and everybody liked him. A happy time in Martin's life was in 1955 when he was ready with his studies and went to Boston so he could get his awards*. He got a doctorsgraduate in theology and now everybody called him "Dr." or "Reverend" King. Under this time Coretta got pregnant* and that's their first child Yolanda. They lived in Montgomery and lived happy, but ML knew what there were deep under the surface*. The peaceful* little town wasn't so peaceful as it seemed to bee. Need for a change The black's position in Montgomery was typical for that kind of towns in the south. The segregation* implied* that black and white kids, wasn't allowed' to go in the same school. The black kids school was often inferior* than the white kids schools. 1954 the Supreme Court* decided* that this couldn't go on. The law said that everybody had the same rights. The Supreme Court decided that the segregation in the school must cease. Now black and whit kids goes in the same school. The Supreme Court made an addition* "With all deliberate* speed", to speed up the process. The people in Montgomery were terrified* because they never comply* with the law. The school was not the only problem. The black people were justified* to vote, but the local occurring* made it very hard for them. A black man could get fired just because he had voted. In Montgomery 40000 black lived, only 2000 were registered. Martin Luther saw that his parishioners* where very frightened and resigned. He thought that if they didn't do anything now, it would always be like this. Rosa Parks The first of December 1955 a black lady left a market in the central where she worked as a seamstress*, and she went to the bus. Her name was Rosa Parks. The rule was that the black should sit in the back of the bus and the white in the front. If the bus was full and a white person came on the bus a black person should stand up and let the white person sit. Rosa Parks found a spot in the middle of the bus and she sat down. Then a white man came on the bus and the bus driver told Rosa to stand up so the white man could sit, but she refused*. The bus driver told her that he would get her arrested*. But she didn't care. She had had a tuff working day and she was tired. She said: "Go on and arrest me". The bus driver looked surprised at her. Then he ran out of the bus and when he came back he had a police officer with him. The police officer asked Rosa why she didn't leave the spot to the white man. She said: "I didn't thought that I needed that. Why can't he stand up instead". The police officer said: "I don't know but the law is the law" and he arrested her. Rosa Parks didn't look like one of them that brooked the law. She was just like the other ladies that went with the bus every day. She was just tired of getting treated* like that. The boycott ML and all of his friends started propaganda. They should boycott the bus traffic lines. 75% of the bus travelers were black and the Bus Company would loose much money if the black boycotted the bus traffic. The leaders of the black people planned the boycott. The leaders exhorted every black man and women to boycott the bus traffic lines. The leaders exhorted* the taxis to drive black people for 10 cents where ever they wished to go, and they agreed. The 5th of December 1955 the boycott started. Martin went up early and drank his morning coffee when the bus came. It was empty. The boycott was a fact. King went into the town. Black people went to their jobs; they even rode on horses and mules. 17500 blacks used to go with the busses. Every bus that drove pass Martin was empty. Only a few white people sat in the front. The police patrolled the streets, but everything went peacefully. Montgomery Improvement Association was created the same afternoon. They were supposed to look after the boycott. Martin was elected* to be president of the group. Now he was only 26 years old. His first assignment* was to talk with the black people that gathered* in the church in the evening. The church was full of people. Speakers were distinguished* in the trees on the streets so everybody could here Martin talk. He held the speech and he drow down applause and after that everybody started to sing " Ohward, Christian Soldier". Rosa Parks told her story about getting arrested, just because she didn't want to stand up. TV, papers and the radio were following this speech, and soon all the country heard about Martin Luther. Martin had three demands: 1. The busdrivers should treat everybody the same 2. The passengers should sit were every the liked but still the black in the back and the white in the front. 3. The bus company should also employee black drivers, that drow in the black society. Martin said to his listeners: " If you agree with me, stand up! Everybody in the room and on the streets stood up. Now Martin was a famous person. Martin always got threatened* and one day the threatened was real. Martin heard that his house was bombed. He ran home so he could see if his little family was alive. They were. Outside Martin's adherents had gathered. When the police tried to scatter* them, they took out their knifes, guns and broken glasses. They said, if someone attacks their leader, then they attacked them. Martin told them to go home and put away their guns. He said: "We must meet hate with love, if I'm stopped, our thing goes on, because God is with us" The boycott moved on and everybody went by foot. All the winter they walked in -30°C and when the summer came in 1956 they still walked. The city leaders found an old law about boycotts. Martin and 88 other persons got arrested. Martin was the first in the court. The Jury was al white. Martin got judge, but his lawyers appealed against* the judge. Improvement Associations kept go on. They wanted to prove that the bus segregation strode against USA's constitution. The black people kept go on walking, even under the summers pushing heat. The city made a new exertion* to put a stop for this "carpool" as an "inconvenience* for the society". Montgomery Improvement Associations got a success. USA's Supreme Court sended a message to Martin Luther King Jr. And now the boycott got an ending. The bus segregation was a crime against the constitution. Martin and Rosa Parker were the two first passengers on the bus next day. When King got on the bus, the driver said: - Are you reverend King? - Well, yes I am, Martin answered. - We are happy that you are riding with us today, the busdriver told him. Montgomery's first integrated bus left the halt. It spreads The success in Montgomery got spread. It gave courage* to thousands other black over the south. Boycotts started everywhere. In June 1957 Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) were started. They gave advice and help. Martin was elected as a President. In 1957 and -58 he traveled in USA and held speeches and 208 conductorships*. Under the same time he mannish to work as a reverend. He had promised a booker in New York to wright a book about the boycott in Montgomery. He missed his wife and two children, and he was sorry to miss his children's childhood. But in spite of that, they mannished to keep the love. He traveled to NY, because he had to sign books. At this time he had have many threatens, but he didn't care. The March to Washington in 1963 The 28th of August in 1963 Martin and his adherent's marcht forwards Washington. It was a celebration* against the slaveries abolishing*. The slavery abolishes 1863 in the USA. When Martin came to Washington Center, 250.000 humans had gathered. Martin went out of his car, and everybody started to sing "We shall overcome". Martin was only 34 years old, but everybody knew who he was. King held a speech, and this was the time, then he said, " I have a dream" I have a dream That one day This nation will rice up And live up the true meaning Of it's free We hold this trues To be self evidence That all men are created to be His death In April 1968, King and his family went to Memphis, so he could support the black workers that were fighting for their salary*. The plane that he ride with was ransacked*, because the aircraft was under a bomb threatened. He was late to Memphis, where he should hold a speech. He told the people why he was late, and then he held his speech. He stayed at his hotel room al next day. On the evening, he and his friend went out on the balcony to get some air. Martin got shout and fell deeply woundered* to the floor. The Ambulance took him to the hospital in a few minutes, but he died with in an hour. Martin Luther King Jr.´s death came as a terribly chock for everyone. He was the one that fought for peace and love, and now he was gone. Martin died only 39 years old. He had four kids and one dearly beloved wife. The funeral was held in the Baptist church in Atlanta were his father worked. Over 100.000 humans came to his funeral. The funeral was held in TV and 120 millions saw it. " Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last". Martin wonted this to stand on his grave, and it does. Source: Internet: Page: http://members.Aol.Com/magoo0885/page3.html Wysiwyg://14/http://members.aol.com/magoo0885/index.html The book: Martin Luther King on Swedish given out by the Swedish company Libris in 1991 translation: Kerstin Gårsjö