Martin Luther King Day and the German-American Connection
On January 16, the nation observes the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Just as he is honored for his leadership in the civil rights movement, so he is also remembered for his inspiring “I have a dream speech” in Washington D.C. But not everyone knows why a boy named Michael King Jr became Martin Luther King Jr. It all goes back to King’s father, a minister, who visited Germany in 1934. So moved was he by the message of Martin Luther that he changed his, and also his son’s, names. The boy became the activist,