Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

1. January 16, 2006 In celebration of. . . Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. January 15, 1929 Martin Luther King, Jr. (originally named Michael King) is born in Atlanta, GA. February 25, 1948 King is ordained and appointed associate pastor to his father, the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

3. June 8, 1948 King graduates from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. May 6-8, 1951 King graduates Crozer Theological Seminary with a Bachelor of Divinity degree. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

4. June 22, 1952 While attending graduate school at Boston University, King is initiated into the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. June 18, 1953 King marries Miss Coretta Scott. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

5. October 31, 1954 King becomes the twentieth pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL. June 5, 1955 King receives his Ph.D. degree in Systematic Theology from Boston University. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

6. December 5, 1955 Dr. King is elected President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the group formed to coordinate the bus boycott. February 14, 1957 The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (“SCLC”) is formed; Dr. King is named its first president. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

7. February-March, 1959 Dr. and Mrs. King spend a month in India as guests of Prime Minister Jawaharial Nehru, studying Mohandas K. Gandhi’s techniques of nonviolent resistance. March-April, 1962 Dr. King is arrested during a demonstration in Birmingham. On April 16, he writes his famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” in which he describes the motivation and defends the need for nonviolent, direct action. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

8. August 28, 1963 At the historic March on Washington, the first large integrated protest march, Dr. King delivers his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

9. September 15, 1963 The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama is bombed, killing four young girls and injuring many worshippers. Dr. King delivers a eulogy for the girls. July 2, 1964 Dr. King attends the signing of the Public Accommodations Bill, a part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, by President Lyndon B. Johnson. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

10. August 25, 1964 Dr. King speaks at the Democratic National Convention, where the Democratic Party refused to seat members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. December 10, 1964 Dr. King accepts the Nobel Prize for Peace in Oslo, Norway. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

11. February 9, 1965 Dr. King meets with President Johnson and other leaders to discuss voting rights for African-Americans. March 21-25, 1965 More than three thousand march from Selma to Montgomery under the protection of federal troops. Along the way, their numbers increased to twenty-five thousand. The march ends in Montgomery, where Dr. King gives an address from the steps of the state capitol. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

12. Spring 1966 To rally the support for the election of black candidates, King makes a “People to People” tour of the South. May 16, 1966 Dr. King makes an anti-war statement at a Vietnam War protest in Washington, D.C. June 8-24, 1966 Dr. King, many civil rights leaders and supporters continue James Meredith’s “March Against Fear” after Meredith is shot. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

13. April 4, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

14. April 7-9, 1968 April 7, 1968, declared a day of mourning, is marked by memorial events and religious services across the country. A silent march is held in Memphis, and on April 9, a funeral service at Ebenezer Baptist Church and a funeral procession takes place in Atlanta. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

15. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

16. November 2, 1983 The Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday bill, a measure proposed in every legislative session from 1968 by Rep. John Conyers, is signed by President Ronald Reagan, declaring King’s birthday a national holiday. However, the first legal holiday nationwide does not occur until January 20, 1986. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

17. January 1984 George Sealey is catalyst for convening Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brothers, Al Bailey, Oscar Little, and Eddie Madison, to propose building a national memorial to Dr. King. Their proposal is presented at the Fraternity’s Board of Director’s meeting, under the administration of General President Milton Davis. November 12, 1996 President Clinton signs Congressional legislation proposing the establishment of a Memorial in the District of Columbia to honor Dr. King. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

18. March 24, 1998 John Carter testifies before Senate subcommittee which oversees memorials in Washington, D.C. Excerpt: “We now have an opportunity to break the trend of memorials to war and erect a monument which delivers a message of lifelong peace in our land. A memorial which embodies not just the image of Dr. King, but the image of America, which is often called the melting pot of the world.” USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

19. May 28, 1998 Charter for the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. approved. USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

20. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929 - 1968 USDA 2006 Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.