King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second oldest child of Alberta Williams King and Martin Luther King. He had an older sister, Christine, and a younger brother, A.D. The young Martin was usually called M.L. His father was pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

King's civil rights activities began in 1955 with a protest against Montgomery's segregated bus system in 1955. That year, a black passenger named Rosa Parks was arrested for disobeying a city law requiring that blacks give up their seats on buses when white people wanted to sit in their seats or in the same row. Black leaders in Montgomery urged African Americans to boycott (refuse to use) the city's buses. The leaders formed an organization to run the boycott, and asked King to serve as president. In his first speech as leader of the boycott, King told his black colleagues:
"First and foremost, we are American citizens. ... We are not here advocating violence. ... The only weapon that we have ... is the weapon of protest. ... The great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right."

In the 1960's, civil rights protests expanded further, as African-American college students began entering various fast-food and other retail outlets where blacks were refused service. There were mass demonstrations in such places as Albany, Georgia. Also in the early 1960's, King became increasingly unhappy that President John F. Kennedy was doing little to advance civil rights. Early in 1963, King and his SCLC associates launched massive demonstrations to protest at racial discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama, one of the South's most segregated cities. Police used dogs and fire hoses to drive back peaceful protesters, including children. Heavy news coverage of the violence produced a national outcry against segregation. Soon afterward, President Kennedy proposed a wide-ranging civil rights bill to the U.S. Congress.
King and other civil rights leaders then organized a massive march in Washington, D.C. The event, called the March on Washington, was intended to highlight African-American unemployment and to urge Congress to pass Kennedy's bill. On Aug. 28, 1963, over 200,000 Americans, including many whites, gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in the capital.

The high point of the rally was King's stirring "I Have a Dream" speech, which eloquently defined the moral basis of the civil rights movement.

While organizing the Poor People's Campaign, King went to Memphis, Tennessee, to support a strike of black refuse collectors. There, on April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed. James Earl Ray, a white drifter and escaped convict, pleaded guilty to the crime in March 1969 and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray later tried to withdraw his plea, but his conviction was upheld. Years after King's death, some people still doubted that Ray had acted alone. In 1978, a special committee of the U.S. House of Representatives reported the "likelihood" that Ray was aided by others. Ray himself died in a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, in April 1998.
People throughout the world mourned King's death. King was buried in South View Cemetery in Atlanta. His body was later moved near to Ebenezer Baptist Church. On King's tombstone are the words: "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last."

King's assassination produced immediate shock, grief, and anger. Blacks rioted in more than 100 cities. A few months later, the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited racial discrimination in the sale and rental of most housing in the United States.

Angel Wing Designed Mini Bag and Pouch





All good things come in pairs. In select colors of pink, blue and red, these "Fly Bags" are shaped like an angel's wing. Each mini bag has an adjustable shoulder strap and comes with a coin pouch. Have other couples envying the cute twosome you guys are! Zip pocket at back. Internal lining and inside zip pocket. 45 cm x 19 cm x 32 cm. Polyester. Hand wash, dry inside out in the shade. By Googims, South Korea. Brand from SOUTH KOREA: Googims. Color: Blue Red Pink, Materials: Polyester, Size: Width 27cm Length 15cm Height 8cm, Care: Handwash Dry in shade with inside out condition.