Life, legacy of MLK, Jr. Published Jan. 13, 2010 By Senior Airman Sharida Jackson Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- As mid-January approaches, the nation celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The third Monday of January is recognized as the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. President Ronald Reagan created the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday after signing it into legislation November 1983. Dr. King is one of only two Americans who have a birthday designated as a national holiday. Dr. King was born Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Ga. The son of a reverend, Dr. King was originally named Michael King, Jr. It wasn't until his father visited Germany in 1934 that he decided to change his son's name in honor of German Protestant leader Martin Luther. At the age of 15, Dr. King attended Morehouse College and became an ordained Baptist minister by the age of 17. In 1951, Dr. King graduated from Crozier Theological Seminary with a Bachelor of Divinity and became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. Dr. King led a bus boycott in 1955 as a response to the arrest of Rosa Parks after she refused to give up her seat to a white woman. The boycott lasted 381 days and led to the Supreme Court outlawing all segregated public transportation. Nonviolent protest was Dr. King's adage. His efforts during the civil rights movement led to changes across the nation. He was admired by many and selected as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. King led a march on Washington, D.C. in which he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. In his speech, Dr. King envisioned a world in which people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Dr. King went on to become the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace prize for his nonviolent approach to end racial prejudice. On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. His funeral was attended by more than 100,000 people. In a speech from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Groundbreaking Ceremony in 2006, then-Senator Barack Obama stated that he "will tell them that this man gave his life serving others. I will tell them that because he did these things, they live today with the freedom that God intended, their citizenship unquestioned, their dreams unbounded." The Minot AFB Equal Opportunity Office in collaboration with the YWCA and other local community organizations will be putting on the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration Jan. 18 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Ann Nicole Nelson Hall on the Minot State University campus. The celebration's focus is "A Day On, Not a Day Off!"