My younger daughter Amber won MLK essay contest here is her essay : Martin Luther King Jr. Dreamer or Visionary? Martin Luther King Jr. Dreamer or Visionary? Martin Luther King Jr. was simply a man to himself, however people saw him as a hero or savior of the Civil Rights, and indeed he was but it’s his beliefs that really defined him. In 1955, King was arrested by leading a boycott in a transportation company at Alabama, which demanded non-whites to give up their seat to any whites that boarded and they would get up and move to the back of the bus, King didn’t seem this process was fair to the African-Americans who have rights as well as whites. He kept on giving speeches and protests that weren’t violent at all. He put his life in risk just to speak out his mind and try to get other victims to stand up to themselves. In 1963, King continued his work to try to encourage other African-Americans by protesting to the whites and writing speeches getting him in the headlines global. One included King’s “I have dream” speech, in Washington D.C, which touched many others deeply. One quote from this speech is, “We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.” What I understand from this piece of King’s mastery speech is that he’s saying that even if the non-whites get their rights back they as a community will always stick together and make sure that if they ever get into a situation like the civil rights movement they will never forget about their hope. King’s death was so powerful and inspiring that the congress made a law for the Civil Rights Movement. King’s awards included the Nobel Peace Prize, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, and The Congressional Gold Medal. King’s legacy will always be remembered to all, his acts spread across the Atlantic Ocean into South America which influenced the Black Consciousness Movement and Civil Rights Movement in South Africa. Albert Lutuli, one of kings inspiration, fought racial justice in South Africa, was also a African American Nobel Peace Prize winner. His family also followed King’s footsteps. Starting out with Coretta Scott King, King’s wife, the same year of King’s assassination established the “King Center” in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as both social and civil justice. King’s son Dexter King is serving his part by being the King Center chairman. Lastly, Yolanda King, King’s daughter, was both motivational speaker and founder of Higher Ground Productions, an organization specializing in diversity training. Martin Luther King Jr. inspires me because he believed in others and he knew that his words will cause people to think their minds off, and that he never gave up on them he kept on pushing them even if that meant pushing them to the extremes. He would always have faith in everyone whether their race, gender, religion or ethnicity he thought everyone was part of the solution that will forever face the earth, the symbol for hope. “The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed and a visionary has his eyes open” ~Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream