Every year, we celebrate a special day called Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the only people in American history, besides George Washington, to have a national holiday named after him? That’s because he did something amazing—he helped bring people together and fought for fairness using his words, not weapons.
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1930s. As a child, he was known as Mike. He had a best friend who was white, and they played together all the time. But when they turned six, they had to go to different schools. One day, his friend told him that they couldn’t play together anymore because his dad said so. This made Mike very sad, and his parents explained to him what segregation was.
Segregation meant that Black people and white people had to do everything separately. They had to sit in different parts of buses, eat in different restaurants, use different bathrooms, and even go to different schools. Even though slavery had ended in 1865, many people in the southern states still treated Black people unfairly.
Martin was upset about being separated from his friend and started noticing unfairness everywhere. Once, he and his dad had to stand on a bus for a long time because the seats were for white people only. Another time, a shoe store clerk wanted them to be served at the back of the shop, but they refused. These experiences made Martin want to fight against segregation even more.
Martin was a very smart student and went to college when he was just 15 years old. While studying, he learned about Mahatma Gandhi, a leader from India who used peaceful ways to fight for people’s rights. Inspired by Gandhi, Martin started his own peaceful fight for equality in 1955.
He helped organize a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, where Black people refused to ride the buses for a whole year to protest segregation. Even though Martin was put in jail, the protest worked, and the city buses were no longer segregated. This was the first big win in his long journey for civil rights.
Throughout his life, Martin Luther King Jr. gave 2,500 speeches and was jailed 30 times, but he never stopped fighting for what was right. His most famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” was heard by over 250,000 people in 1963. His powerful words helped lead to the Civil Rights Act in 1964, which made it illegal to treat people unfairly because of their race. In 1964, Martin was awarded the Nobel Prize for his peaceful efforts.
Many people supported Martin Luther King Jr., but some did not agree with him. Sadly, he was only 39 years old when he was killed. Even though he is no longer with us, his words and peaceful actions changed America forever. That’s why the U.S. government created a national holiday to honor him and his incredible work for equality.
Role-Playing Activity: Gather your family or friends and act out a scene where Martin Luther King Jr. might have used his words to solve a problem. Think about a situation where people are being treated unfairly and how Martin might have spoken up. After the role-play, discuss how using words can help solve problems in real life.
Observation Walk: Take a walk around your neighborhood or school and look for examples of fairness and kindness. Can you find places where people are helping each other or working together? Write down or draw what you see. Think about how Martin Luther King Jr. would feel about these examples of fairness.
Dream Poster: Create a poster that shows your own dream for a fair and kind world. Use drawings, words, and colors to express your ideas. Share your poster with your class or family and explain why your dream is important to you. How can you help make your dream come true, just like Martin Luther King Jr. did?
Welcome to Kids Academy! As you know, every year we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. is the only person in American history, apart from George Washington, whose memory is honored by a national holiday? Why is that? While George Washington helped create the American government, Martin Luther King Jr. worked to unite Americans. He fought for equality, but he did it without using weapons—he fought with words.
It all started in his childhood in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1930s. Martin, known as Mike during his childhood, had a white playmate, and they were best friends until they turned six and had to go to separate schools. One day, his friend told Mike that his father didn’t want them to play together anymore. Mike was shocked, and that’s when his parents explained segregation to him. Segregation meant that Black people had to sit separately from white people on buses and in restaurants, use separate bathrooms, and even attend separate schools. Many white people in southern states believed it was normal to mistreat Black people, even after slavery was abolished in 1865.
Martin Luther King Jr. was upset that he was separated from his friend. From that moment on, he began to notice inequality everywhere. Once, while traveling with his dad on a bus, they were forced to stand for 90 miles because they were pushed away from seats reserved for white people. Another time, a clerk in a shoe shop required Martin and his father to be served at the back of the shop, which they refused. These experiences strengthened King’s resolve to fight against segregation.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a bright student and entered college at the age of 15. While studying at a seminary, he learned about Mahatma Gandhi, a leader from India who fought for human rights in a non-violent way. In 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. began his civil rights activism by helping to organize a bus boycott against racial segregation in Montgomery, Alabama. All Black people in the city refused to ride public buses for a year. Although King was jailed for his efforts, the peaceful protest successfully ended segregation on city buses. This was his first victory in 12 years of activism.
Throughout his journey, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered 2,500 public speeches and was imprisoned 30 times, but he never gave up. More than 250,000 people attended his most famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” which he delivered in 1963. Soon after, the American government passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, making racial discrimination illegal. The following year, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Prize for his peaceful stand for equality.
Millions of Americans supported Martin Luther King Jr., although some opposed his ideas. Tragically, he was only 39 when he lost his life due to violence. However, Martin Luther King Jr.’s words and peaceful actions changed American society forever, which is why the U.S. government created a national holiday in his honor.
