Get To Know The Real MLK From His Own Words

On this Martin Luther King Jr Day, we remember the life of a peaceful Baptist minister who stood up for what was right and changed the world. Most likely, today we heard speakers quote the Reverend Dr. King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. Here is one of my favorite quotes:

“Cowardice asks the question – is it safe?

Expediency asks the question – is it politic?

Vanity asks the question – is it popular?

But Conscience asks the question – is it right?

And there comes a time when one must take a position

That is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular;

But one must take it because it is right. “ – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King spoke about love, and faith, and freedom. Most importantly, he spoke about judging others by the “content of their character” and not the “color of their skin.” He believed that we are all born with the same rights, responsibilities and freedoms. He was a courageous man who saw an injustice and stood up for what was right.

Reading biographies is one way to get to know a public figure, and there are so many biographies to check out, for children and adults alike. There are too many to list here, but I’ll name a few. For kids, there are titles like, A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David Adler; Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport; and My Daddy: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Martin Luther King III. Adult biographies include: The Days of Martin Luther King Jr by Jim Bishop; King, A Biography by David L. Lewis; Martin Luther King by Alan McLean

However, the best way to learn about a public figure is to read or listen to his or her exact words.  There are audio files available on our EZone (just click on the EZone link on our catalog to find them.) Here are some materials with Dr. King’s own words. I suggest you start with these first and continue from there: The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.; A Call to Conscience: the landmark speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the great sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.; Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr.; The address to the First Montgomery Improvement Association mass meeting (electronic resource, audio file available on our EZone); Where do we go from here? (electronic resource, audio file available on our EZone); The Concise King: featuring recordings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (sound recording); “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: a historical perspective” (DVD).

I call myself the Library Detective because I can find the answers to any question you can think of, or at least I can point you in the right direction.  To find out more about the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, visit your local library; there are more Library Detectives there, too.