MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

Match the words with the pictures

protest / equal rights/ non-violent
/ bus boycott / segregation/ arrested / civil rights / preacher

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Read the text
Every year on the third Monday in January, Americans celebrate the
birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. He was a civil rights leader born on 15
January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. As a social activist, he led the civil
rights movement against racial segregation during the 1960s.
King was born into a pastor's family. He wanted to become a preacher
like his father. He grew up in a time when African-Americans and whites
lived separately in large parts of the United States. People of African-
American descent were not allowed to attend the same schools as whites,
drink the same water, or eat in the same restaurants.

Martin Luther King Jr. believed that all people should have equal rights, regardless of the color of their skin. He
advocated in a non-violent way that things needed to change. In 1955, he helped organize a bus boycott in
Montgomery, Alabama. This meant that people of African-American descent stopped using the buses until they
were allowed to sit where they wanted. This made a big difference and the laws about segregation on buses
were changed.
Martin Luther King Jr. gave many speeches, wrote books, and held many protests. He often was arrested for the
protests. In 1963, the activist gave a famous speech in Washington, D.C. He spoke about his dream of a future
where everyone would be friends and treated equally. He even received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his
work.
Martin Luther King Jr. was very brave, but unfortunately, he was shot in 1968. Even though he is no longer alive,
his ideas and dreams live on. People still remember him as a hero who worked to make the world a better place
for everyone.