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Martin Luther King Jr. Last Speech

Updated on Jan 17, 2022. Originally added on Apr 04, 2018 by Kathy Pinna

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to a Baptist minister and his wife, Alberta. Both father and son were born with the name "Michael" but when the elder Reverend King attended a Baptist conference in Germany in 1934, he decided to change their names to "Martin Luther" in honor of Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation.

King Jr. grew up in the South and experienced first hand the sometimes subtle and most often brutal racism of that time. Having won accolades in high school for his debating skills, during college he felt "an inner urge to serve humanity" and chose to enter divinity school.

Below is a brief snippet of him giving his final speech in the fight for Civil Rights before his death.

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The Final Speech of MLK Jr.

This speech, delivered April 3, 1968 - the night before Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination - is poignant for two reasons: He seems to portend his death and it is especially timely today, 50+ years later.

About MLK Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was exceptionally intelligent having entered Morehouse College at age 15. His experiences led him to merge his Christian values and teachings with his experiences with racism, making him the guiding light of the Civil Rights movement and non violence - for which he won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Please turn up the volume and take just 2.5 minutes to listen to an intelligent and inspiring leader who speaks to and for all people.

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