Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the Latino Community
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day approaches; it is important to view and appreciate his accomplishment to the Nation as a whole and his contributions to the Latino community.
Rise to Leadership
Dr.King was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. At the age of 15 Dr.King attended Morehouse College studying medicine and law. Dr.King met the President of the College, Benjamin Elijah Mays, who was also a minister like Dr.King’s father. Mays also advocated for racial equality which inspired Dr.King. After he graduated from Morehouse college he then graduated from Crozer Theological Seminary earning a Bachelors in Theology. He then went to Boston University and received a PHD in Systematic Theology. He then settled down with his wife Coretta Scott King in Montgomery, Alabama and became a pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
Accomplishments
He helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 to help protest the racial segregation on public buses. Dr King and other civil rights leaders and ministers founded the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) in 1957 which played a significant role in organizing and coordinating civil rights activities across the South. The famous march on Washington in 1963 where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. With all of Dr King’s efforts for equality and other civil rights leaders the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed. The Civil Rights Act was a public law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The Voting Rights Act was a public law that prohibits racial discrimination when voting. With these protests and fights to gain equality Dr King earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Prior to his passing Dr King was involved in the Poor People’s Campaign which was to address the issues of poverty and economic inequalities. By 1986, Coretta Scott King, Dr.King’s wife, campaigned for Dr.King's birthday to become a national holiday commemorating his contributions to the nation as a whole.
Contributions to the Latino Community
Dr.King also acknowledged the injustices that were occurring in the Latino community. He not only inspired but also helped Latino community.
Dr King asked fellow Puerto Rican leader, Gilberto Gerena Valentín, to help organize Latinos on the east coast to help them assist in the March to the White House. At the White House, Gerena spoke out in Spanish against the racial injustice going on to Puerto Ricans and Latinos. Dr. King also traveled to Puerto Rico a few times to give speeches against the discrimination going on against people of color.
Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta were inspired by Dr. King’s non-violent efforts and implemented those same ideas into the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). Dr. King sent telegrams to Chavez twice, appreciating and acknowledging his fight for equality, freedom, and using non-violent tactics.
Dr.King knew his fight for equality was not only for African Americans but for all people of color, all religions, and all sexes.
Sources:
https://ctlatinonews.com/martin-luther-king-jr-and-the-latino-community/
Martin Luther King, Jr: Crash Course Black American History #36
https://www.biography.com/activists/cesar-chavez-martin-luther-king-jr-telegram
