Marking Martin Luther King's birthday
Students of Watkins Elementary School sing "We Shall Overcome" on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC to mark what would be Martin Luther King Jr's 81st birthday yesterday.
Monday 18th January will be a national holiday in the US to commemorate the legacy of the civil rights campaigner. Events will be held throughout the country - including concerts, marches and debates with current civil rights representatives such as Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of the film Hotel Rwanda.
Famous for his non-violent protests, Luther King Jr was dedicated to obtaining equal rights for all. In the 11-year period between 1957 and 1968, King travelled over six million miles and spoke over 2,000 times.
Due to Abraham Lincoln’s stance against slavery, the Lincoln Memorial has been the site of civil rights demonstrations for nearly six decades. On its steps, Martin Luther King Jr delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech to 250,000 people in 1963.
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