Iconic Photos Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Civil Rights Legacy

Outside the opening session of the 1960 Republican National Convention, an orderly crowd of demonstrators (including Martin Luther King, Jr., being interviewed at left) urges the party to adopt a strong civil rights platform. | Source: Bettmann / Getty

UPDATED: 10:30 a.m., Jan. 20, 2025:

The annual observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday that is celebrated on the third Monday of January.

What better way in 2025 to remember the past than to take a journey through the photos that made some of MLK’s most iconic moments live forever?

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This holiday serves as a powerful reminder of the impactful words and actions of Dr. King, whose tireless efforts in the Civil Rights Movement continue to resonate with people today. 

The holiday was signed into law in 1983, despite initial opposition from Republican senators. It officially went into effect in 1986. However, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that the holiday was observed in all 50 states.

Dr. King’s message of equality, justice, and nonviolence continues to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds. The holiday is an opportunity to remember and reflect on the contributions of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, and to work towards creating a more just and equitable society.

 It is also a time to honor the memory of Dr. King and all those who have fought for civil rights throughout history. As we mark this holiday, let us recommit ourselves to the ideals of Dr. King, and the ongoing struggle for civil rights and social justice.

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There is still much more work to move Dr. King’s legacy forward. He famously said in 1967, “But tragically and unfortunately, there is another America. This other America has a daily ugliness about it that constantly transforms the ebullience of hope into the fatigue of despair. In this America, millions of work-starved men walk the streets daily in search of jobs that do not exist. In this America millions of people find themselves living in rat-infested, vermin-filled slums. In this America, people are poor by the millions. They find themselves perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.”

Decades later, not much has changed. John Light, for the Bill Moyers Report, wrote, “Take a look at these charts about American poverty from King’s day through today using data from the U.S. Census Bureau,” Light said reflecting in 2013 on King’s analysis conditions in 1967. “When King delivered his Two Americas speech, a household in the top five percent income bracket was at least six times wealthier than a household in the bottom twenty percent. Since the late 1960s, the rich have been growing wealthier far more quickly than the poor.”

A 2017 Washington Post report on Federal Reserve data found that Black families and Latino families made significant economic progress from 2013 to 2016, compared to other demographic groups during those three years. However, that didn’t mean that minorities closed the wealth gap.

Federal Reserve economists explained that the wealth increase for Blacks and Latinos stemmed from the fact that they had far less wealth compared to Whites. Consequently, even small increases in minority wealth appeared disproportionately large. The median net worth of white households was $171,000. For Black and Latino households, the median net worth was below $21,000.

In addition, being in the middle of the deadly coronavirus pandemic only increases the strain on many Americans who do not have the privilege of earning a living wage.

Therefore, in honor of MLK’s life and holiday, here are 10 iconic pictures to underscore the civil rights icon’s brave determination to pave the way for each of us to enjoy a freer existence than he did.

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