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Home • Culture

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nearly 50 years later, we take a look at the legacy of social justice, unity and radicalism Dr. King left behind. 
By Essence · Updated October 26, 2020
01
Remembering MLK

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” Today as we mark the 49th anniversary of his death we take a look back at his life and legacy.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Stephen Somerstein
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Power Couple

Martin Luther King leaving Harlem Hospital with wife Coretta Scott King in 1958.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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No Justice, No Peace

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. looks out from behind the bars of his jail cell in 1962 shortly after he and other integration demonstrators were arrested on trespassing charges at a local motel.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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March On

Civil Rights marchers pass the U.S. Capitol on the Mall during the March on Washington on their way to hear Dr. King speak.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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On the Mountaintop
Martin Luther King Jr.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Free At Last!

Dr. King ends his famous “I Have a Dream” speech with the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” in front of hundreds of thousands.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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A Moment in Time

The March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial
Original caption: This photo, made from the top of the Lincoln Memorial, shows how the March on Washington participants jammed the area in front of the Memorial and on either side of the Reflecting Pool. Demonstrators are massed at the pool all the way back to the Washington Monument.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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The Reverend

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers a sermon to the congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Letting His People Know

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers a sermon from the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Our Leaders

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King meet briefly in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, during a Senate filibuster on the Voting Rights Act.

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Family Woman

Coretta Scott King and her children celebrate the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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A Quiet Moment

Martin Luther King Jr. talks with his daughter Yolanda on a swing in their backyard.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Show Me the Way

Martin Luther King Jr. holds his young son Dexter on his lap at home in Atlanta.

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At the Head of the Table

Martin Luther King Jr. eats Sunday dinner with his wife Coretta and their young children at home in Atlanta.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Frat Brother

Dr. King is an Alpha Phi Alpha brother. The fraternity has a scholarship in his name.

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Nobel Man

Martin Luther King Jr. received the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize with his wife in Oslo, Norway.

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Kind Words
The chairman of the Nobel committee said King was, “The first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle.” Dr. King donated his prize money, estimated to be $55,000, to the Movement. In his acceptance speech King said, “I accept this prize on behalf of all men who love peace and brotherhood. I say I come as a trustee, for in the depths of my heart I am aware that this prize is much more than an honor to me personally.”

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Man of Recognition

Martin Luther King Jr. was presented with an award in New York after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Undated photograph.

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The Truth

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

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Words of Wisdom

“This is always the danger and the tragedy of segregation, it not only harms one physically, but it scars the soul and distorts the personality.”—Morgan State College 1958

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Strength of the People

“We want our rights,” Dr. King strongly emphasized to a crowd outside an all-white college in 1965.

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We March Together

Martin Luther King Jr. and wife, Coretta Scott King, march with other Civil Rights activists in Selma, Alabama.

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A Day Without Words

A Press conference was held after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated outside Lorraine Hotel where he was staying.

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Without a Leader

Coretta Scott King and family view Dr. King’s body in state, in Atlanta.

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Forever Memorialized
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.