M a r iin L u t h e r K in g J r .
January IO, 2007
2007 s p e c ia l e d it ton
Page B?
Martin Luther King Jr.
Chronology
1929 - Born on at noon on January 15, 1929.
• Parents: The Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr.
• Home: 501 Auburn Avenue, N.E., Atlanta, Ga.
1944 - Graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and was admitted to Morehouse
College at age 15.
1948 - Graduates from Morehouse College and enters Crozer Theological Seminary.
• Ordained to the Baptist ministry. Feb. 25, 1948, at age 19.
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1951 - Enters Boston University for graduate studies.
1953 - Marries Coretta Scott and settles in Montgomery, Ala.
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1955 - Received Doctorate of Philosophy in
Systematic Theology from Boston University,
Boston, Mass, on June 5, 1955.
• Dissertation Title: “A Comparison of God in
the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Wiseman”.
• Joins the bus boycott after Rosa Parks was
arrested on Dec. 1. On Dec. 5, he is elected
president of the Montgomery Improvement As­
sociation, making him the official spokesman for
the boycott.
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His voice has
not faded.
His light has
not dimmed.
*
!
1956 - On November 13, the Supreme Court
rules that bus segregation is illegal, ensuring vic­
tory for the boycott.
1957 - King forms the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve
civil rights. On May 17, Dr. King speaks to a crowd of 15,000 in Washington, D.C.
Martin Luther King, Jr. stood up for the dignity of
each individual and demonstrated the power of many
individuals working together.
1958 - The U.S. Congress passed
the first Civil Rights Act since recon­
struction. King’s first book, “Stride
Toward Freedom”, is published.
• On a speaking tour, Martin Luther
King, Jr. is nearly ki lied when stabbed
by an assailant in Harlem. Met with
President Dwight D. Eisenhower,
along with Roy Wilkins, A. Philip
Randolph, and Lester Grange on prob­
lems affecting black Americans.
He spoke to our better selves with words of hope and
encouragement.
1959 - Visited India to study Mohandas Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence.
• Resigns from pastoring the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church to concentrate on civil rights full
time. He moved to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
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When the journey was hard, he led us further down the
road and invited all to join in.
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Many years ago, this one man brightened the future
for generations to come. His message still calls out to
us, and his actions live on.
The City of Portland, City of Vancouver, Housing Authority of
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1960 - Becomes co-pastor with his father at the
Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
• Lunch counter sit-ins began in Greensboro,
N.C. In Atlanta, King is arrested during a sit-in
waiting to be served at a restaurant.
• He is sentenced to four months in jail, but
after intervention by John Kennedy and Robert
Kennedy, he is released.
• Student Non-Violent Coordinating Commit­
tee founded to coordinate protests at Shaw Uni­
versity, Raleigh, N.C.
*
Portland, Multnomah County, and Metro honor the legacy of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. by striving to profnote equality and
opportunity for all people. Our goal is to foster employee diversity
1961 - In November, the Interstate Commerce
Commission bans segregation in interstate travel
due to work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the
Freedom Riders.
• Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) began
first Freedom Ride through the South, in a Grey­
hound bus, after the U.S. Supreme Court out­
lawed segregation in interstate transportation.
&
through workforce training and hiring and to support economic
development for minority-owned, women-owned, and emerging
small businesses. Please contact the staff members identified to
the left about contracting and consulting opportunities.
1962 - During the unsuccessful Albany, Ga.
movement. King is arrested on July 27 and jailed.
City of Portland
Greg Wolley, Bureau of Purchases
(503) 823-6860, gwolley@ci.portland.or.us
1963-O n Good Friday, April 12, King is arrested
with Ralph Abernathy by Police Commissioner
Eugene"Bull"Connorfordem onstratingwithout
a permit.
• On April 13, the Birmingham campaign is L t-e "
launched. This would prove to be the turning point
in the war to end segregation in the South.
Jimmy Brown, Water Bureau
(503) 823-3028, jbrown@water.ci.portland.or.us
Richard Gray, Transportation Bureau
(503) 823-5250, richard.gray@pdxtrans.org
City of Vancouver
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Housing Authority of Portland
Jerry Walker
(503) 802-8509, jerryw2@hapdx.org
Multnomah County
Robert Fields
(503) 988-5111 x22769, robert.fields@co.multnomah.or.us
Metro
;
Cinna'Mon Williams
(503) 797-1816, williamsc@metro.dst.or.us
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HOUSING AUTHONIÏY Of FOHIANO
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• On May 10, the Birmingham agreement is
announced. The stores, restaurants, and schools will be desegregated, hiring of blacks implemented,
and charges dropped.
• On June 23, MLK leads 125,000 people on a Freedom Walk in Detroit.
• The March on Washington held Aug. 28 is
J I the largest civil rights demonstration in history
with nearly 250,000 people in attendance. At the
march, King makes his famous “I Have a Dream”
speech.
• On Nov. 22, Preside t K .nnedy is assassi­
nated.
Angela Watkins
(360) 619-1028, angela.watkins@ci.vancouver.wa.us
A R
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M etro
1964 - On Jan. 3, King appears on the cover of
Time magazine as its Man of the Year.
• King attends the signing ceremony of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 at the White House on
July 2.
• During the summer, King experiences his
first hurtful rejection by black people when he is
stoned by Black Muslims in Harlem.
• King is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on
n o n f * i A c ts
O P FH t » A f H
continued
on page R8