The story of Martin Luther King, the man who fought racial discrimination

The Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan, a semi-clandestine white supremacy organisation responsible for many acts of violence, considered Martin Luther King Jr.’s popularity a threat. This picture shows a burnt cross, which was used by the KKK to intimidate its enemies, in front of King’s house.

March on Washington

Through peaceful marches, Martin Luther King Jr. managed to make the American public aware of the violence and segregation black people were subjected to.

MLK Day

Martin Luther King Jr. is the only US citizen to whom a yearly holiday is dedicated. The first MLK Day was celebrated on 20 January 1986 after president Ronald Reagan signed it into law in 1983.

King supported nonviolence

Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong supporter of nonviolence. Gandhi inspired him and in 1959 he went to India to meet Mahatma’s family.

King's arrest

During his lifetime, King was arrested many times. While in prison he wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail in which he underlined the great importance of civil disobedience to obtain civil rights.

King's family

Martin Luther King Jr. with his wife Coretta Scott King, and their children Dexter Scott and Yolanda.

March on Washington

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 28 August 1963. On this day King gave his historic “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

King's speech in Selma

Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd in Selma before the march towards Montgomery, Alabama, to demand the right to vote for all African Americans.