In 1950's America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. People of color �?blacks, Hispanics, Orientals �?were discriminated against in many ways, both overt and covert. The 1950's were a turbulent time in America, when racial barriers began to come down due to Supreme Court decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education; and due to an increase in the activism of blacks, fighting for equal rights.

Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, was a driving force in the push for racial equality in the 1950's and the 1960's. In 1963, King and his staff focused on Birmingham, Alabama. They marched and protested non-violently, raising the ire of local officials who sicced water cannon and police dogs on the marchers, whose ranks included teenagers and children. The bad publicity and break-down of business forced the white leaders of Birmingham to concede to some anti-segregation demands.

Thrust into the national spotlight in Birmingham, where he was arrested and jailed, King organized a massive march on Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he evoked the name of Lincoln in his "I Have a Dream" speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The next year, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

He  asked nor for moonbeams

nor a golden star

simply for people to be

judged as they are.

To stroll on the sidewalks

with heads held high

and children of colours

to play ~ not to cry.

The key to his wishes

was simple and pure

and he made the difference

for all to endure.

I admire the work of this man greatly and was saddened by his pointless death at the time and still am.