Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
Photo by Robert Sengstacke, 1966
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), a civil rights leader, minister, and author, who, after successfully leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott, went on to become nationally renowned for his nonviolent approach in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s shattered the legal foundations of racial segregation - American apartheid. Mass movements led by leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Ella Baker, and Fannie Lou Hamer established African Americans' right to vote equality of educational opportunity, and full access to public facilities. This movement became the model for social justice and human rights movements both nationally and internationally.