1929 - 1968
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights leader and Baptist minister, best known for his role in advancing civil rights through nonviolent activism during the 1950s and 1960s. He is most renowned for his leadership during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, his "I Have a Dream" speech, and his efforts to combat racial segregation and inequality, which significantly contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and is remembered as a symbol of the struggle for equality and justice.