Take a look at the list below and consider whether there might be others you would place on the list as well.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
An accomplished man, Dr. King was born January 15, 1929 as Michael Luther King, Jr. (He later changed his name to Martin.).
Why he's on my list:
- He was always a strong advocate for civil rights.
- Despite consistent personal threats and attacks, he persisted in furthering the cause for racial harmony - During boycotts Dr. King was repeatedly arrested, bombed, and subjected to personal abuse.
- By 1968, he had traveled over six million miles and addressed audiences over twenty-five hundred times, determined to address injustices and share his vision of a united America.
- He led massive protests that gained international recognition and ran successful voter registration drives.
- He delivered the now infamous "l Have a Dream" speech in front of a large integrated audience - to this day, this speech inspires and motivates us to work harder to achieve this vision he so eloquently crafted.
- He conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson.
- He was awarded five honorary degrees and was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963.
- He became an internationally recognized figure and at the age of thirty-five, became the youngest man to have ever received the Nobel Peace Prize - The prize money ($54,123) he turned over to the civil rights movement.
Nelson Mandela is one of the world’s greatest achievers in the struggle for racial equality.
Why he's on my list:
- He dedicated his life to the fight for racial equality.
- He established a political party to further racial equality only after various peaceful protests had failed.
- He travelled abroad to further the cause even though he recognized the danger in which he would be placing himself upon his return to South Africa.
- He, like Martin Luther King, Jr. encountered consistent personal attack and arrests, although he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment - released in 1990 after serving 28 years.
- He was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his attempts to abolish racial discrimination.
- He continues to be an inspiration to people all over the world.
The race issue became forefront in America's conscience during the Kennedy era.
Why he's on my list:
- In 1962,a poll revealed that African-Americans highly admired Dr. King - this was followed closely by John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a man who inspired respect and enthusiasm across color lines.
- The Kennedy Administration did much to promote equality and ease the effects of discrimination. For example, it: increased recruitment of African-American employees by the federal government; established the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, which was empowered to cancel government contracts where racial discrimination was practiced; appointed 40 African-American United States attorneys; established vocational training centers; and, intervened in the integration of schools and colleges.
- Despite strongly negative reactions, and violence, the Kennedy administration persisted on its course.
- In 1963, Kennedy addressed civil rights in a speech he delivered to the nation, and submitted his civil rights bill to Congress.
- Although he acknowledged that "All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet," he recognized that this was not an adequate reason for failing to take action.
Click here for the next two on my Top 5 list: a writer and a teacher...