01/17/2022
Happy Dr. Martin Luther King day! 🖤 Today we honor and celebrate the extraordinary life and influence of Dr. King Jr. Here are some cool facts you may or may not know:
1) He won a Grammy award!🎤 🏆
The speech, referred to as "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam" and "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam," was recorded on vinyl and earned him a postmortem Grammy for best spoken-word recording in 1970.
2) King's birth name was Michael ✍️
King was born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929. In 1934, however, his father, a pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, traveled to Germany and became inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. As a result, King Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his five-year-old son.
3) His imprisonment helped JFK get elected. ❗
Upon learning of the reverend's unjust treatment by the police department, a key advisor told Kennedy that his response to the situation would determine his voter turnout in the election. As a result, Kennedy called Scott King and personally offered her his support. Many historians credit this action to the large Black voter turnout in the 1960 election and Kennedy's eventual win.
