Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On January 15,1929, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born to Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. On his birth certificate, his name was mistakenly recorded as “Michael King”, but was not discovered until 1934.

Dr. King is most famous for his “I Have A Dream” speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in This speech was given while leading the March On Washington.

Dr. King often stated that blacks, as well as Dr. King often stated that blacks, as well as other disadvantaged Americans, should be other disadvantaged Americans, should be compensated for historical wrongs. While compensated for historical wrongs. While speaking to Alex Haley in 1965, he stated speaking to Alex Haley in 1965, he stated that granting black Americans only that granting black Americans only equality could not realistically close equality could not realistically close the economic gap between them and the economic gap between them and whites. He also stated that he did not whites. He also stated that he did not seek full restitution of lost wages to seek full restitution of lost wages to slavery, which he believed impossible. slavery, which he believed impossible.

King was booked in room 306 at the Lorraine Motel, owned by Walter Bailey, in Memphis. Reverend Ralph Abernathy, King's close friend and colleague who was present at the assassination, swore under oath to the HSCA that King and his entourage stayed at room 306 at the Lorraine Motel so often it was known as the, 'King-Abernathy suite.'[22] While standing on the motel's 2nd floor balcony, King was shot at 6:01 p.m. April 4, The bullet entered through his right cheek smashing his jaw and then traveling down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder.[23] According to biographer Taylor Branch, King's last words on the balcony were to musician Ben Branch (no relation to Taylor Branch) who was scheduled to perform that night at an event King was attending: "Ben, make sure you play Take My Hand, Precious Lord in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty."[24] Friends inside the motel room heard the shots and ran to the balcony to find King on the ground. Local Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles, whose house King was on his way to, remembers that upon seeing King go down he ran into a hotel room to call an ambulance, but nobody was on the switchboard so he ran back out and yelled to the police to get one on their radios. It was later revealed that the hotel switchboard operator, upon seeing King shot, had had a fatal heart attack and could not operate the phones.[25] King was pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital at 7:05 p.m Lorraine MotelReverend Ralph AbernathyHSCA[22]April 41968[23]Taylor BranchTake My Hand, Precious Lord[24][25]Lorraine MotelReverend Ralph AbernathyHSCA[22]April 41968[23]Taylor BranchTake My Hand, Precious Lord[24][25]

This is Dr. Martin Luther King, lying in a hospital bed, after being stabbed in a Harlem department store.

At a press conference on June 5, 1961, Reverend Martin Luther King as president Kennedy declare all forms of racial segregation illegal.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s son stands and watches as he pulls a cross that was burned on his lawn in Atlanta, Georgia.