Martin Luther King Jr. is an influential figure when it comes to the civil rights movement. His very famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” helped influence and shape the way our country is today. 

Martin Luther King became famous by leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which made him very recognizable. He led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, and the overall civil rights of African Americans.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest that lasted 381 days in Montgomery, Alabama. This protest was an argument against the segregation on buses. The movement was sparked by Rosa Parks, but led by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1955-1956.

Some of King’s biggest marches include the March on Washington for jobs and freedom, Selma to Montgomery marches, Birmingham campaign, and the Memphis sanitation strike marches.

King’s famous speech helped shaped today’s society in many ways. African Americans now go to the same school, drink from the same water fountain, and have the same rights as every other American. He is a big part of the reason that these conversations exist about injustice in society.

After all that King did, we now honor him by giving him a federal holiday to recognize him. Making it a federal holiday allows people to have the day off to celebrate, learn, and recognize all that he did. Oftentimes, schools, especially elementary and middle schools, will spend many days teaching students who he was, and how he impacted everything that they know today.

Written by seniors Max Jungels and Caden Breger. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.