What You Don’t Know About MLK

I saw a Facebook post the other day about unknown facts regarding Martin Luther King, Jr.  I didn't believe a few so went on my own to research Dr. King.  While some of the facts in the post were false, I ended up learning a LOT about the activist and now appreciate his commitment and sacrifice even MORE!

MLK FACTS

1. Martin was actually Mike.  His mom gave him that nickname that he believed was his real name until his dad told him, at age 22, that his real name was MARTIN and not MICHAEL.
2. King loved Star Trek.  He's a legend now, but he was once a man who did normal stuff like watch TV.  He loved Star Trek and actually convinced Nichelle Nichols to stay on the show after the first season.  She played Uhura and broke the norm for TV as a powerful, intelligent and equal member of the crew of the Enterprise.
3. He is not just an American Hero.  MLK Day is celebrated in countries around the world and even more countries have monuments in his honor.  His message about equality spread to Canada, Japan, Sweden, England, Havana, Australia, Columbia, Kenya and beyond.
4. Harvesting tobacco gave him a broader view of the world.  When he was a teen, he spent a few summers harvesting tobacco in Connecticut.  That travel, taking him out of the south, gave him a new view of how people should be treated in all parts of the country and all parts of the world.
5.  King started the "Occupy" movement.  You saw it in metro areas around the country in the last 10 years, but the Occupy movement was first devised and executed by King.  The movement, however, didn't last past his assassination.
6. In eleven years (starting in 1957) he traveled more than six million miles and spoke at more than 2,500 events.  That's 45,000 miles a month.
7. There are more than 900 streets named after him in the United States.

Now, let's be inspired by King.  His dream should be our reality. We've come far, but we have farther to go. . .

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