Martin Luther King Jr. Day

This Collection honors Dr. King's work and relays much of the history of the Civil Rights era.  

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday in January each year. 

Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. 

 

Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles | Periscope
Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles | Periscope
Episode 4

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Ruby's friend, psychiatrist Dr. Robert Coles, wrote "The Story of Ruby Bridges." At William Frantz, Ruby attended an empty classroom. Some parents refused to let their children go to the integrated...
Policemen & Federal Marshals | Periscope
Policemen & Federal Marshals | Periscope
Episode 3

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By the time Ruby was six years old, there were new laws stating that African American and white students had to integrate, or share, schools. People such as Martin Luther King, Jr. had worked for...
Colored Water Fountain | Periscope
Colored Water Fountain | Periscope
Episode 2

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Ruby was born in 1954. At the time, African-American children and white children had to attend separate schools. Segregation, or the separation of African American and white people, was practiced by...
Ruby Bridges (1960) | Periscope
Ruby Bridges (1960) | Periscope
Episode 1

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Ruby Bridges' first day at William Frantz Elementary School was very unusual. Integration, or the sharing of schools by African American and white people, had recently become law in 1960. She was one...
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Legislation | Periscope
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Legislation | Periscope
Episode 6

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Dr. King's efforts would lead to wider recognition of equal rights, education and political representation for African Americans and other minorities. For his work, he earned a Nobel Peace Prize in...
March on Washington - Crowd on the Mall | Periscope
March on Washington - Crowd on the Mall | Periscope
Episode 5

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Dr. King traveled around the world giving speeches and organizing peaceful protests. He met with presidents to urge support for civil rights. His "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered in Washington, D...
Rosa Parks | Periscope
Rosa Parks | Periscope
Episode 4

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In 1955, Rosa Parks, a seamstress living in Montgomery, Alabama, wanted to peacefully demonstrate what civil rights meant to her. She was arrested for sitting at the front of the bus, a place reserved...
March on Washington | Periscope
March on Washington | Periscope
Episode 3

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Like Gandhi, Dr. King committed his life to peacefully helping people attain civil rights. Much of Dr. King's work concerned the civil rights of African Americans. During the 1950s, there were fewer...
Mahatma Gandhi | Periscope
Mahatma Gandhi | Periscope
Episode 2

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Gandhi used nonviolent protest to promote civil rights for the people of India. "True nonviolence should mean a complete freedom from ill will and anger and hate and an overflowing love for all." –...