America recognizes February as Black History Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the lives of great black leaders, inventors, pioneers, and liberators of our past. These men and women have spread ideas, sparked revolutions, and shaped our world.

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of these great men. A paragon of tolerance, a champion of nonviolence, and a tireless supporter of civil rights, King’s relentless crusades for peace and equality transformed his times and still affect our lives today.

Martin Luther King, Jr: Early Life and Education

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. In 1948 he graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology; in 1951, he graduated from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.