The Settings of MLK’s Legacy

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man whose faith in the human spirit and dedication to human rights led him across the country and eventually around the world. Nevertheless, in honor of Dr. King's birthday, we are highlighting three key American cities that served as the backdrops for pivotal events in his life. Explore these important destinations below, as well as their historical institutions, and see for yourself the undeniable imprint that Dr. King left behind.

ATLANTA, GA.
Atlanta is the first city of major importance in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life -- and no wonder: This city was his birthplace. In fact, you can visit the very house where Dr. King was born, within the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site located in the culturally rich Sweet Auburn Historical District. The Birth Home Museum itself is run by the U.S. National Park District, and park rangers lead tours through the house. To the west of the King family home is Ebenezer Baptist Church, the legendary house of worship where MLK's grandfather and father ("Daddy King") were pastors, before King himself served as co-pastor with his father and preached his messages of love, non-violence and equality.

The Sweet Auburn District is an African-American neighborhood chock full of other landmarks in black history, such as the offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Dr. King helped found in 1957; the legendary Top Hat Club, whose stage hosted B.B. King, the Four Tops and Gladys Knight.; the central building of black-founded Atlanta Life Insurance; and the first black-owned daily newspaper, the Atlanta Daily World.

Dr. King was an extremely bright and gifted student who was promoted twice (ninth and 12th grades) and then entered college at the age of 15. The school that he attended for undergraduate studies was Atlanta’s own Morehouse College. Visit the school's historic campus and see where Dr. King's intellectual prowess and analytical skills were groomed. Established in 1867, Morehouse has awarded bachelor's degrees to more black men than any other school –- including Dr. King, who graduated in 1948 with a B.A. in sociology before later earning a Ph.D. from Boston University.

Make your final stop in Atlanta the most important: The King Center for Non-Violent Social Change, which was created by Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, in order to continue Dr. King's great work. Dr. King's tomb is located at the center, as well as exhibits that highlight his life and his teachings.

WASHINGTON
The nation's capitol is the place where Dr. King reached the peak of his career as an activist for civil rights and indeed, human rights. It was here that he so eloquently articulated his vision for a better America. A visit to Washington, D.C., puts you at the center of what were perhaps Dr. King’s greatest achievements. On Aug. 28, 1963, more than a quarter of a million of people came together on the National Mall to hear a series of speakers talk about jobs and freedom. One of those speakers was Martin Luther King Jr., and his "I Have a Dream" speech became a part of American history. The site of that unforgettable speech was the Lincoln Memorial, which is open to the public today. The Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, a monument to Dr. King's life work planned for a four-acre site on the National Mall, is situated within the arc between the Lincoln and Jefferson monuments. (The Memorial is scheduled to open in 2006.)

Another very important location in the city is the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, which currently features a special exhibit dedicated to the country’s struggle for equal education for all: Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education. This exhibit commemorates the pivotal 1954 Supreme Court decision, and the civil rights struggles that were the catalyst for it.

MEMPHIS, TENN.
The most haunting destination tied to Dr. King's legacy is Memphis, the city where he lost his life. Dr. King, along with a slew of other black leaders, came to Memphis in April 1968 to support striking sanitation workers who were fighting racial discrimination and inhumane working conditions. King spoke at a church on April 3, where he delivered his striking "I’ve Been to the Mountaintop" speech, in which he alluded to his own death. The very next day, on April 4, King was at Memphis' Lorraine Hotel, planning a non-violent march that he hoped would defeat a court-ordered ban on protests. As he stood on a balcony of the hotel before dinner, he was assassinated by a fatal bullet. The Lorraine Hotel is now the National Civil Rights Museum, and this site of chilling violence and wrenching tragedy is now a place of learning. The museum chronicles the entire history of civil rights movements, from the 1600s to the present; it includes a gallery, a gift shop, exhibit halls, archives and libraries.

Memphis is a city rich in black culture and black history. Explore other sites, such as the Alex Haley Museum, which includes the burial sites of Haley himself, as well as his ancestors immortalized in 'Roots.' In addition, you may want to check out the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum for a more accurate telling of America's musical history, which, quiet as it’s kept, emerged from black musical forms (such as gospel, the blues, soul, and rhythm & blues). These sounds were also the soundtrack for the civil rights movement.