Jan.15 Martin Luther King,Jr.'s Birthday
Born on this day in 1929,the African-American clergyman Dr.Martin Luther King,Jr.worked hard for civil rights in his native South and elsewhere.Preaching1) peace and sensibility,he was in the vanguard2) of many demonstrations3) and rallies4).In1963,during the massive March on Washington,King gave the famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial.In the speech,King prophesied5) a world in which his children “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”King's assassination in April 1968in Memphis,Tennessee,sent shock waves around the world.In succeeding years,various cities and then states made King's birthday a legal holiday.Now a national holiday in the United States,it serves as the focus for discussions,national as well as international,about the issues King held dear,and a bout the progress--or lack of same--achieved since King had his dream.