Poster - MLK's Principles of Nonviolence

Photo: Peter Pettus, Library of Congress

In the aftermath of the successful 1954 Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. Martin Luther King shared lessons learned in his book Stride Toward Freedom. These principles are derived from the book's chapter "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence."

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader who dedicated his life to speaking out against injustice, inequality, poverty and war.

A pastor, theologian, philosopher, an organizer, he was instrumental in dismantling legal segregation and the systems which limited Black voting rights.
After the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King in consultation with Bayard Rustin, Ella Baker, and others founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which he led until his assassination.

His persistent and massive political organizing led to global recognition, changes in attitudes and the law, and what he termed "a coalition of conscience".

Notably, he was arrested for his activism upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; he was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and he was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize.

His assassination in 1968 ended too soon a mighty force for equality, nonviolence and justice.

"No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
- M.L.K. Jr. from his "I have a dream" speech delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It is considered the catalyst of the Civil Rights Movement, propelling it forward and lighting the fire for racial equality across the country.