Happy Birthday, MLK Jr

Today is the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (books by this author), born in Atlanta, Georgia (1929). There have been many books written about him since he was assassinated by James Earl Ray in 1968. Taylor Branch wrote a 3,000-page trilogy about America during the King years: Parting the Waters (1988), Pillar of Fire (1998), and At Canaan's Edge (2006). It covers King's life from 1954 until his assassination in 1968.

He said, “There are two types of laws: there are just laws and there are unjust laws... What is the difference between the two?...An unjust law is a man-made code that is out of harmony with the moral law.”

And: “The ultimate test of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and moments of convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge and moments of controversy.”

And: “We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and for justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”