Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. Over the course of his life, he traveled the country speaking about equality for all people. Today we celebrate his birthday and take a look back to see how one life can change the world.

Have you ever wondered…

• Who was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
• What is segregation?
• What was the civil rights movement?

Did you know?

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in a time when people of different races were separated in much of the United States. This separation was called “segregation.”

In segregated states, African-Americans were not allowed to use the same drinking fountains as white people. They could go to movies, but they were forced to use a different door and were only allowed to sit in the balcony area. If they wanted to ride a public bus, they had to sit in the back.

Until 1957, even public schools remained segregated. Dr. King attended segregated public elementary and high schools. He graduated from Morehouse College, an all-black college in Atlanta, in 1948.

Dr. King’s father and grandfather were both preachers, and he knew that he wanted to follow in their footsteps. He attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, where he received his doctorate in 1955.

After graduating, he began leading a church and married a woman named Coretta Scott. Martin and Coretta moved to the South, where prejudice was very strong in the most segregated states in the United States.

In 1955, police arrested an African-American woman named Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger. Dr. King was outraged by Rosa’s arrest, so he organized a boycott of the public bus system in Montgomery, Alabama. The next year, the U.S. Supreme Court banned segregation on public buses.

For more than 10 years, Dr. King campaigned against segregation, prejudice and racial inequality. Over his lifetime, he gave more than 2,500 speeches, gaining followers and supporters around the country and the world.

He became a leader in the civil rights movement. And in 1964, Dr. King also won the Nobel Peace Prize.

On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was shot and killed by an assassin while standing on the balcony outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee.

Try it out!

Of all of Dr. King’s speeches, one of the most famous was delivered to a quarter of a million people in 1963 on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Listen to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

In one of the most famous lines, Dr. King said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

What dreams do you have for the future? Think about the modern world. What problems or issues exist today? How do you think these problems can be solved?

Write about your dream for the future and how you can improve the world during your lifetime. If you need help getting started, take a look at some students’ “I Have a Dream” poems for inspiration.

When you’re finished, email or send a copy of your thoughts to Wonderopolis. We’d love to hear about your dreams for a better future!

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Louisville, KY 40202-4237

Wonder words to know and use:

• equality
• race
• segregation
• balcony
• doctorate
• prejudice
• boycott
• campaigned
• civil rights
• assassin

Still wondering?

After thinking about the future and how you can make it better, take a trip to Science NetLinks to learn more about Groups We Belong To. Did you realize that you’re born into certain groups but can voluntarily join others?

Wonder what’s next?

Tomorrow Wonderopolis is going with the grain. Bring your bowl and meet us back here for breakfast. This is one meal you won’t want to miss.

• Tags: boycott, campaign, civil rights, doctorate, equality, prejudice, race, segregation