Martin Luther King, Jr., was born  on this day, 15th January, 1929. He is considered to be one of the world’s greatest orators and is famous for his beautiful, 17-minute speech “I have a dream” given at the end of the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” . This is just one of many speeches given in his life-long fight for racial equality, civil rights and campaigns against poverty and the Vietnam war.  King was profoundly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and fervently believed in nonviolent resistance.. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
At the end of his last speech given the day before his death in Memphis, in reference to threats on his life,  King seems to foresee his imminent death, adding  the following:
“Like anybody, I would like to live - a long life; longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man.”
Although James Earl Ray was convicted of the assassination of King, it is widely agreed that it was a conspiracy.  The expansion of his focus to poverty and the war in Vietnam had alienated many of his allies.
His death led to many riots all over the country. He died at the age of 39 but the fight for civil rights had aged him more than these years. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 is just one of King’s legacies and a tribute to his work.
Currently showing, The Butler directed by Lee Daniels, with Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, really worth seeing.
Vocabulary:
Speech = discorso
March = manifestazione
Freedom = libertà/indipendenza
Fight = lottare
Campaign = campagna
Threat = minaccia
Convict = condannare
Riot = insurrezione