Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Did you know that it wasn’t until the year 2000 that all 50 states officially observed this holiday? Arizona, New Hampshire and Utah were the last to get on board even though President Ronald Reagan had signed this holiday into law in 1983.
I recently came across an article about MLK and was surprised by some of the things I learned… for instance, did you know his real name was Michael, not Martin but his father was inspired by the German theologian Martin Luther and so changed both his and his son’s name? Also, Martin Luther King Jr. skipped 9th and 11th grade and entered college when he was just 15, then graduated with a degree in sociology when he was 19. And lastly, King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 when he was just 35 years old–the youngest male ever to do so. Amazingly, he donated all of the Prize money to the Civil Rights movement. At that time that was $54,123 which today would be about $400,000. (The youngest person ever to win that award was Malala Yousafzai who was just 17 when she won it in 2014.)
If you are interested, HERE are some more facts about Martin Luther King, Jr.
And here are 3 of my favorite quotes from this inspiring man:
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Do YOU have a favorite quote from Martin Luther King Jr? If so I’d love to hear it–use the comment box below to send me a note!