Born during an era of racial violence, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. served as the drum major for peace and justice.

King was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, making him the official spokesman for the bus boycott.

On Nov. 13, 1956 the Supreme Court ruled on a case that changed the lives of all Americans when it ruled that it was illegal for buses to be segregated.

In 1963, King organized and led the March on Washington to demand equal employment and civil rights for African-Americans. In front 250,000 people, the largest civil rights demonstration in history, he delivered his most famous speech, the “I Have a Dream” speech.

King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Ironically, the very thing he fought to eradicate was the thing that killed him.

On April 4,1968, King was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

King was a civil rights activist who fought and died to bring change to the world.

He left an ongoing legacy for all to continue, a legacy of justice, equality and peace.