The ball is rolling. The foundation is set. The blood, sweat and tears are starting to flow.
Many heroes are needed to save the city.
A few have come and gone.....and left their mark.
MANY have risked their lives. Learn more about some of them here!
But some are alive today! And a few have already stepped up!
They envision a once again, thriving community, as well as, opportunities to restore and improve MLK-named streets all over America. They have kicked off a nation-wide mission.
Here is just one of those leaders...
Martin Luther King, Jr. - "Where Do We Go From Here" - August 16, 1967
For a bit of an idea on the rest of Dr. King's vision, including hints of How Far We've Come, listen!
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born January 15, 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama. He became an activist at 26 years old, leading the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and becoming the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) two years later. [wikipedia.org]
He fought extensively for civil rights and an end to systematic oppression in southern cities from Texas to Missouri.
He traveled to St. Louis on many occasions, including a trip to the United Hebrew Temple in 1960 which is now the History Museum’s Library where I do my research. The building is beautiful and the ceiling so domed you can hear a whispered conversation across the room. Just sitting in a place sheltering all of the history of St. Louis feels like home.
He also spoke to a packed gym and press conference at St. Louis University in 1964, two days before winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Photo credit: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wW9bfAalyCk/maxresdefault.jpg
And previously at the Kiel Auditorium in 1957
At 34 years old, he marched to Washington to deliver his famous "I Have A Dream" speech in 1963. A year later he won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence.
In 1968, Dr. King was assassinated at 39 years old. He was a brave soldier.
Martin Luther King Jr in St. Louis in 1957. Photo by Edward J. Burkhardt of the St. Louis Post Dispatch
