Martin+Luther+King+-Larisa+Rus

The Birth Home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., may be visited only with a park ranger led tour. The tours are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Register for the tour at the National Park Service Visitor Center in person upon arrival to the park. The tour is strictly limited to 15 people per tour! They fill up fast on weekends and holidays.

Martin Luther King Jr. Three decades after King was gunned down on a motel balcony in Memphis, Tenn., he is still regarded mainly as the black leader of a movement for black equality. That assessment, while accurate, is far too restrictive. For all King did to free blacks from the yoke of segregation, whites may owe him the greatest debt, for liberating them from the burden of America's centuries-old hypocrisy about race. It is only because of King and the movement that he led that the U.S. can claim to be the leader of the "free world" without inviting smirks of disdain and disbelief. Had he and the blacks and whites who marched beside him failed, vast regions of the U.S. would have remained morally indistinguishable from South Africa under apartheid, with terrible consequences for America's standing among nations. How could America have convincingly inveighed against the Iron Curtain while an equally oppressive Cotton Curtain remained draped across the South? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. The movements and marches he led brought significant changes in the fabric of American life through his courage and selfless devotion. This devotion gave direction to thirteen years of civil rights activities. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world. Take the ||
 * [[image:http://i.infoplease.com/images/mlking.a.jpg width="150" height="213" align="right"]] || [[image:http://i.infoplease.com/images/spacer.gif width="15" height="1" caption=" "]] || Martin Luther King Jr's work, words, and wisdom mean many things to many people. On Martin Luther King Jr Day, learn more about the man and celebrate the life and times of this American hero, who led millions of people in the fight for racial equality. Plus, find activities and resources for celebrating Martin Luther King Jr Day with your family.