Inspiration of Martin Luther King Jr - Essay Example

Inspiration of Martin Luther King Jr. In different parts of the world, social democracy has been associated to efforts of iconic individuals, who used relentless efforts to liberate citizens. Such influential people receive significant national and international recognition because of the value attached to social justice issues. Of more significance, key advocators of social justice not only receive recognition but also leave behind legacies cherished for long time. In this regard, Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most memorable social justice propagators in the U.S. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in a society where there was a lot of segregation but he rose up against the social injustices in various ways that even saw him to be recognized as a Nobel Prize winner in the year 1964. This essay will discuss the major inspirations imparted by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his career and other activities that aimed at terminating social injustices in the U.S. To start with, Martin Luther King Jr. started reformation towards social justice at early stages in his life, something not very common to many people. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in a family of religious leaders, who advocated for social justice and fairness in the society. As a result, the young Martin Luther King Jr., initially named as Michael King was exposed to social issues that affected American populations. According to the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, the activism of his father against racial discrimination as well as the depression period in the country made Martin Luther King Jr. to be acquainted with the social injustices and economic inequalities in the country (1). Therefore, the nature of the early life of Martin Luther King Jr. made him to develop agitation for fairness to people in the society. What inspires most in this story is that Martin Luther King Jr. did not stop at that but took an initiative against the prevailing injustices. The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute points out that following the inspiration from his father as well as other religious leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. took an initiative of being ordained as a church leader and started his political activism by writing letters to editors of national newspapers while still at Morehouse College (1). This is quite inspiring because very few students can take such a bold step at their tender ages as in the case of Martin Luther King Jr. Of more significance, Martin Luther King Jr. was confident to criticize any issue that seemed not right in the society. In reality, Martin Luther King Jr. became famous in most places because of being vocal about various issues in the society. This not only made him to stand out in the crowd, but also made him to develop a good public reputation that offered him an opportunity to voice out critical issues to masses. In addition, he was able to attract sharp attention from the leaders because of being vocal on issues affecting people in the society. After completion of his college studies, Martin Luther King Jr. joined Crozer Theological Seminary, where he studied theology. His period in the college is one that inspires people after recounting his activities in the institution. According to the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, Martin Luther King Jr. criticized conceptions of God help by most theologians in the institutions (1). During the period that Martin Luther King Jr. studied theology, he did not hesitate to air his views on religious stand held by leaders in the institution and other people in different parts of the world. This indicates that Martin Luther King Jr. knew hi rights as a liberal Christian and was confident in vocalizing critical issues concerning the religion. On a rather interesting note, Martin Luther King Jr. was an outstanding academic performer despite his vocal nature concerning issues in the society. Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute points out that he graduated with excellent academic record from Crozer Theological Seminary (1). This is quite inspiring because it is evident that despite his involvement in other social activities, he never lacked focus on critical aspects of life. This portrays an excellent character for a true leader in the society, whom can handle various issues in the society at once without failing. Additionally, the leadership ability of Martin Luther King Jr. was acknowledged at various stages of his life. It is undeniable that leaders are respectable people with great integrity in the society. In this regard, Martin Luther King Jr. inspired many people in the world for being such kind of a leader in many levels of his life. He not only became a leader in the society, but he received many positive comments and appreciations for his outstanding performance in whatever level he led. Coincidentally, Martin Luther King Jr. used the various opportunities as a leader to champion for social justices in the society. To begin with, Martin Luther King Jr. got an opportunity to join an Intercollegiate Council while still at Morehouse College (The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute 1). This interracial congregation met for discussion on a monthly basis in Atlanta. This gave Martin Luther King Jr. an opportunity to highlight the disadvantages of racial segregation in the society. After graduating from Boston University, Martin Luther King Jr. became a pastor Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, where he actively associated with civil rights movements (Taavana Organization 1). One major success made by Martin Luther King Jr. while still a pastor is the elimination of laws that promoted racial segregation in the transport sector at Montgomery. Consequently, due to the success in elimination of segregation within the public transport system, Martin Luther King Jr. was motivated to start a movement to help eliminate segregation in other communities. This was made possible when he mobilized other African American church leaders to form Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which he was the leader until his assassination (Taavana Organization 1). The SCLC gave opportunity to many affiliate churches and community organizations to advocate against social injustices perpetrated by the white majority rule in the U.S. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. was a determined person who never gave up easily on his undertakings. In many occasions, civil rights activists were categorized as opponents of the ruling regime because they advocated for issues against the government. The government did not receive this lightly and the activists together with other protestors received ruthless treatment from the authorities. Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. was exposed to the cruel treatment of the authorities because of his stand on matters of social justice. According to Taavana Organization, police officers arrested Martin Luther King Jr. thirty times because of his civil rights activities that mobilized the African American citizens against the authority (1). However, this did not deter the brave leader from advocating for social justice in the American community. Instead, the injustices made to Martin Luther King Jr. made him to be motivated further to carry out activism against the government. In addition, Taavana Organization points out that the FBI agents closely monitored the movement of Martin Luther King Jr. and threatened to tarnish his public image by revealing his extramarital activities to the public (1). This indicates that the American authorities were afraid of Martin Luther King Jr. influence to African American citizens. It is worth pointing out that despite the injustices made to Martin Luther King Jr. he never gave up on his efforts for social justice to people. This is inspiring because it indicates the determination of Martin Luther King Jr. to ensure that social justice prevails to the American community. Further, Martin Luther King Jr. used the opportunity provided by the American constitution amendments that promoted equality to further champion for social justice in the U.S. Therefore, it is evident that Martin Luther King Jr. utilized every opportunity that presented itself to him in order to promote his philosophy of social justice. Another inspiring aspect in the life of Martin Luther King Jr. is the fact that his leadership produced significant results acknowledged by members in the society. As discussed earlier, Martin Luther King Jr. got several opportunities where he worked as a leader in several organizations that in one way or another gave him an opportunity to advocate for social justice. However, the prominence of Martin Luther King Jr. came about due to his exemplary performance in his docket as a leader. According to the King Center Organization, African Americans gained significant results within the shortest time ever during the leadership period of Martin Luther King Jr. in the modern American Civil Rights Movement (1). This not only made him to become famous among the African American citizens but also helped him to create public loyalty to his leadership activities hence attracting a large section of public audience. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. successfully organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott that helped to end racial segregation in the public transport system. Similarly, Martin Luther King Jr. was exceptional leader considering the fact that he was the first African American leader to successfuly unites several civil rights movements in advocating for social justice in the community (The King Center Organization 1). This is very inspiring because hi type of leadership was exceptional hence attracting a lot of attention both within the civil society and the public. Moreover, it is a common phenomenon for excellent leaders to be appreciated in the society in various ways. Therefore, the significant progress towards the achievement of social justice under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. in various organizations made him to be an inspiring character to me people throughout the world, making other leaders to emulate his philosophies of leadership. Additionally, Martin Luther King Jr. is mostly remembered being the most famous nonviolent leader in the advocacy of civil rights. Many civil rights movements in the world are in one way or another violent in their agitation activities even up to date. Considering the fact that social justice is a major problem that brings the authorities and civil rights movements in a collision, it is undeniable that social justice activists may be tempted to use any available tool of bargain to get their share. However, this was not the case with the activism moderated by Martin Luther King Jr. in fight of social and economic justice in the U.S. According to the Nobel Prize Organization, Martin Luther King Jr. was excellent in leading the first Negro nonviolent demonstrations in the U.S to advocate for social justice to the community (1). The nonviolent leadership nature of Martin Luther King Jr. was closely associated to his Christian upbringing and inspirations of peace by Mahatma Gandhi, who happened to be one of his greatest sources of inspiration of social justice (The King Center Organization 1). As a result, the leadership style exemplified by Martin Luther King Jr. received greater attention from the authorities. This is because many other civil rights movements used various advocacy techniques that included violence to bargain for social justice. Contrastingly, the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil movements introduced nonviolent advocacy techniques such as “nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience” that still enabled the organizations to achieve significant progress than ever before (The King Center Organization 1). This is quite inspiring because the leadership style adopted by Martin Luther King Jr. proved to the world that non-violent techniques of bargaining for social justice can be more effective than other techniques that were perceived to be superior. On the other hand, Martin Luther King Jr. used his powerful speeches, public lectures and written articles to advocate for justice. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the famous leaders cum scholars who delivered most recognizable public lectures treasured even up to date. Many scholars in various genres of literature like to incorporate various quotes from the many Martin Luther King Jr. literature resources. Martin Luther King Jr. used the power of words to mobilize people for nonviolent advocacy for social justice in the U.S. In particular, his public speeches remain famous sources of words of wisdom. According to Louisiana State University, the public speeches delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. not only demonstrated his charisma but also left a lasting positive impression to both young and old American citizens (1). One of the most famous speeches, named ‘I Have a Dream’, made the greatest impact to American citizens. This is because the speech highlighted the basic issues that were prevalent in the society. Analyzing the contents of speeches delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. clearly indicates that he was talented in choosing the correct words to motivate people. His speeches made the American authority to rethink on various social injustices perpetrated against the minority African American citizens. The speeches not only led to reformation of the American social system but also became part of the American cultural system. For instance, ‘the dream’ of Americans to eliminate social injustices became a reality to many people as exemplified by the fact that an African American president currently heads the U.S. In addition, most of the literature material produced by Martin Luther King Jr. addressed pertinent issues in the society hence drawing special attention in the public arena. Finally, Martin Luther King Jr. inspired many people by becoming a role model in various activities. According to Taavana Organization, Martin Luther King Jr. became a role model in symbolizing equality to the American citizen when he advocated for social justice to all, without favoring any side (1). In addition, Martin Luther King Jr. was able to garner support from various organizations due to his admirable attributes (Taavana Organization 1). This is inspiring because few activities were able to get backing from various institutions in the U.S considering their modes of advocacy. More importantly, Martin Luther King Jr. activities were conversant to Americans from all spheres of life, including religious, non-religious, whites and blacks. This indicates that Martin Luther King Jr. was a role to many people in the society due to his outstanding character and performance in various capacities. His activities as a civil rights activist made him appreciated by the Nobel Prize Organization in 1964. Martin Luther King Jr. was a person dear to many American citizens, especially the African American and the poor citizens, that his assassination sparked riots in the country. Despite his death, the civil rights moments continued to advocate for equality based on Martin Luther King Jr. principles indicating that he played as a role model to other remaining leaders. In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr. was an exceptional leader, who inspired many people in the world. In particular, Martin Luther King Jr. was vocal about major issues in the society from his tender age hence drawing public attention. From the above discussion, it is evident that his family played a crucial role of modeling his future by introducing him to social advocacy platform at tender age. In addition, it is worth pointing out that Martin Luther King Jr. portrayed exemplary character making him to become a leader in various organizations. Consequently, his good performance at the leadership positions made him to become a role model to many people in the world. Further, his advocacy skills, which mainly included non-violent techniques made him to win support from various people hence contributing to his success. Therefore, it is evident that Martin Luther King Jr. inspired many people by evaluating the status of social and economic justice currently prevailing in the U.S. Works Cited Louisiana State University. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Biographical Sketch. n.d. 14 Jul 2014.< http://www.lib.lsu.edu/hum/mlk/srs218.html >. Nobel Prize Organization. Martin Luther King Jr. – Biographical. n.d. 14 Jul 2014.< http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html >. Taavana Organization. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Fighting For Equal Rights in America. n.d. 14 Jul 2014.< https://tavaana.org/sites/default/files/mlk_en_pdf.pdf >. The King Center Organization. About Dr. King. n.d. 14 Jul 2014.< http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king >. The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Global Freedom Struggle. n.d. 14 Jul 2014. < http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_martin_luther_king_jr_biography/ > Read More