Dr. Martin Luther King |
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Malcolm X |
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1925 |
May 19 Malcolm Little is born in Omaha, Nebraska |
January 15 Michael King is born in Atlanta,
Georgia |
1929 |
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1931 |
Malcolm’s father dies in Lansing,
Michigan after he is run over by a streetcar. It is rumored that he was murdered by white supremacist. |
Michael King Jr.’s name is changed
to Martin Luther King Jr. He is
named after Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran denomination. |
1935 |
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1946 |
Malcolm is sentenced to 8-10 years
for armed robbery; he serves 61/2 years. |
Graduates from college at the age of 19, begins seminary school. |
1948 |
Converts to the Nation of Islam
while in prison |
Marries Coretta Scott in Marion,
Alabama on June 18. |
1953 |
Changes name from Malcolm Little to
Malcolm X and becomes Assistant
Minister of The Nation of Islam’s Detroit Temple. |
Receives Ph.D. in Theology from
Boston University and begins to preach in Dexter Ave. Baptist Church in
Montgomery, Alabama. |
1954 |
Becomes the minister of New York
Temple No. 7 |
Elected president of the Montgomery
Improvement Assoc., making him the official spokesman for the Montgomery bus
boycott. |
1955 |
Becomes the minister of
Philadelphia Temple No. 12 |
Forms the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference to fight segregation and achieve civil rights. |
1957 |
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Is stabbed in the chest by Mrs.
Izola Curry in Harlem while promoting his book Stride Toward Freedom. |
1958 |
On January 12, marries Betty
sanders in Lansing, Michigan |
Visits India to study Gandhi’s
philosophy of nonviolence. |
1959 |
Travels to the Middle East and
Africa as an ambassador for the Nation of Islam. |
Lunch counter sit-ins begin in
Greensboro, North Carolina. In
Atlanta, King is arrested during a sit-in waiting to be served at a
restaurant. He is sentenced to
four months in jail, but after intervention by John F. Kennedy, he is
released. |
1960 |
Meets with Fidel Castro at the
Hotel Theresa in Harlem. |
Is arrested at an Albany, Georgia
demonstration. He is charged
with obstructing the sidewalk and parading without a permit. |
1961 |
Speaker at the Nation of Islam
Freedom Rally in Manhattan. |
Meets with President Kennedy to
urge him to back Civil Rights. |
1962 |
Speaker at the Nation of Islam
Rally at Park Manor Auditorium. |
The March on Washington Held Aug.
28 is the largest civil rights demonstration in history with nearly 250,000
people in attendance. At the
march, King makes his famous I HAVE A DREAM speech.
King is arrested and jailed during
anti-segregation protest in
Birmingham; writes Letters From Birmingham City Jail, arguing that individuals have the
moral duty to disobey unjust laws. |
1963 |
Nation of Islam orders Malcolm to
be silent, allegedly because of remarks concerning President Kennedy’s
assassination. |
Attends the signing of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 at the White House on July 2.
Dr. King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy
visit West Berlin at the invitation of Mayor Willy Brandt.
King is awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize. |
1964 |
March 26 – Meets Martin Luther King
after King’s news conference.
March – Malcolm splits with the Nation
of Islam and forms the Muslim Mosque, Inc.
April – Malcolm travels to Mecca and
throughout Africa under the name, Malik El-Shabazz. While in Mecca, he
changes his opinion about white people after he experiences the unity of the
races.
June 28 – Forms the Organization of
Afro-American Unity (OAAU) to help in the civil rights struggle.
July – Malcolm returns to Africa, meets
with African leaders, and attends the second African Summit Conference in
Cairo, Egypt. |
On Feb. 2, King is arrested in Selma,
Alabama during a voting rights demonstration. |
1965 |
February 14 – Malcolm’s house is
firebombed.
February 18 – Speaks at Columbia
University.
February 21 – While speaking at an OAAU rally in the
Audubon Ballroom at 3:10 p.m., Malcolm is shot several times. Malcolm is
pronounced dead upon arrival at the Vanderbilt Clinic, Columbia Presbyterian
Hospital. |
On July 10, initiates a campaign to
end discrimination in housing, employment, and schools in Chicago. |
1966 |
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On Nov. 27, announces the inception
of the Poor People’s Campaign focusing on jobs and freedom for the poor of
all races. In March and April,
attacks the government’s Vietnam Policy. |
1967 |
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Marches in support of sanitation
workers on strike in Memphis, Tennessee.
On April 3, delivers I’VE BEEN TO
THE MOUNTAINTOP Speech.
At sunset on April 4, King is
fatally shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. |
1968 |
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President Reagan signs a
proclamation declaring the third Monday in January a public holiday in honor
of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. |
1986 |
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