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Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. The late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. remains one of the most revered figures in contemporary history — his struggle for civil rights is widely regarded as helping to advance not only black America, but the entire nation.
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Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

King's Legacy Remembered At Memorial

At the dedication of the memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington on Sunday, President Obama said the slain civil rights leader made the Union "more perfect."

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Carolyn Kaster/AP

King's Legacy Remembered At Memorial

Thousands attended the formal dedication Sunday of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall. It was an emotional day for those, including President Obama, who came to honor the slain civil rights leader. Obama said King's work "is not complete."

King's Legacy Remembered At Memorial

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A March For Jobs In Martin Luther King's Name

Demonstrators rally under the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

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Jose Luis Magana/AP

A March For Jobs In Martin Luther King's Name

Emerging from the shadow of the Washington Monument, civil rights groups marched to the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on Saturday. The crowd rallied on the eve of the new memorial's dedication, calling for jobs and economic justice.

A March For Jobs In Martin Luther King's Name

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King Friend: Democrats Should 'Love Their Enemies'

Andrew Young (top right) speaks about the significance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the groundbreaking for the memorial in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2006. Also present are other King lieutenants, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson (top center) and Georgia Rep. John Lewis (leaning on shovel). Lauren Victoria Burke/AP hide caption

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Lauren Victoria Burke/AP

Opinion

King Friend: Democrats Should 'Love Their Enemies'

Former Ambassador Andrew Young contends that President Obama is "doing the best he can," but he complains that Democrats "don't understand what's happening economically." He casts the Tea Party as a "vestige" of white segregationist politics and cautions Democrats not to cede the South in 2012.

Behind King Memorial, One Frat's Long Battle

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial opened to the public on Monday. It will be officially dedicated on Sunday. Allison Keyes/NPR hide caption

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Allison Keyes/NPR

Behind King Memorial, One Frat's Long Battle

The memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. opens on the National Mall this week after 25 years of planning and a cost of more than $100 million. The men behind the monument discuss how a "far-fetched idea" from some Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers became a "Stone of Hope."

Off The Ground: Creating The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

The memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King opens on the National Mall this week after 25 years of planning and more than $100 million. Allison Keyes/NPR hide caption

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Allison Keyes/NPR

Off The Ground: Creating The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

The new Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial is scheduled to be dedicated on Aug. 28 — the anniversary of the civil rights leader's "I Have A Dream" speech. The memorial, located on the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., was nearly three decades in the making. Here's a brief look at how the idea for a memorial came to fruition.

Martin Luther King Memorial Opens To The Public

The statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is seen unveiled from scaffolding during the soft opening of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington on Monday. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Opinion

The Two-Way

Martin Luther King Memorial Opens To The Public

The 30-foot sculpture of the civil rights leader was a long time in the making. The original idea for the memorial in Washington, D.C., came in 1984.

Martin Luther King Memorial Opens To The Public

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'I Have A Dream' Speech Writer Almost Didn't Write It
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'I Have A Dream' Speech Writer Almost Didn't Write It

Fresh Air

Clarence Jones helped draft Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech and was a close personal adviser and lawyer to the civil rights leader. But he almost turned down the chance to work with King. He explains what changed his mind in his memoir, Behind the Dream.

'I Have A Dream' Speech Writer Almost Didn't Write It

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Following The 'Trail' Of King Assassin James Earl Ray

James Earl Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison for the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. He died in prison in 1998. Hulton Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archives/Getty Images

Following The 'Trail' Of King Assassin James Earl Ray

Fresh Air

After Martin Luther King Jr. was killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn., the man who shot him, James Earl Ray, was able to evade the FBI during a two-month-long massive worldwide manhunt. Writer Hampton Sides traces the movements of both King and Ray in his book, Hellhound on His Trail.

Following The 'Trail' Of King Assassin James Earl Ray

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Lost King Speech To Be Heard After 50 Years

The poster used to advertise King's appearance at Bethel College on Jan. 21, 1960. Courtesy Mennonite Library and Archives/Bethel College hide caption

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Courtesy Mennonite Library and Archives/Bethel College

Lost King Speech To Be Heard After 50 Years

KMUW | NPR for Wichita

Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech, about the future of integration, in January 1960 at Bethel College in Kansas. On Monday, it will be heard for the first time in half a century. The only known recording of the speech was found recently in Kansas.

Lost King Speech To Be Heard After 50 Years

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Opinion

Remembering King And The 'Fierce Urgency Of Now'

Martin Luther King Jr. may be best remembered for his "I Have a Dream" moment, but too often overlooked are his efforts to fight poverty in America. Essayist E. Ethelbert Miller says that this Monday, we should remember King in his full context. His messages are relevant even — or especially — in 2010.

Remembering King And The 'Fierce Urgency Of Now'

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'The Movement Revisited' Pays Tribute To King

Bassist and composer Christian McBride has penned an hour-long musical work inspired by leading figures of the civil-rights movement. Hear a 17-piece big band and gospel choir perform McBride's tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

Listen Now: From Christian McBride's 'The Movement Revisited'

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The First Civil Rights Bus Boycott

Fifty years ago -- and two years before the famed bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala. -- black citizens in Baton Rouge, La., staged what's believed to be the first-ever organized protest of Jim Crow laws in the South. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports on the anniversary of the Baton Rouge bus boycott.

The First Civil Rights Bus Boycott

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Hip Hop: Today's Civil Rights Movement?

Hip-hop culture, with its street rhythms and explicit lyrics, is more relevant in advancing civil rights today than the peaceful messages of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., author Todd Boyd says. In an interview with NPR's Scott Simon, Boyd says hip hop artists use language as a political weapon that provokes and "makes people think." (Note: Contains language that some may consider offensive.)

Hip Hop: Today's Civil Rights Movement?

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