美國週一紀念馬丁·路德·金誕辰

Americans across the country are pausing Monday to observe the federal holiday marking the birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

King first rose to prominence in 1955 when he led a successful boycott of the public buses in the southern city of Montgomery, Alabama, forcing the city to end its practice of segregating black passengers. He became the central figure of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and '60s, inspiring millions with his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the 1963 March on Washington.

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, the same year a landmark civil rights bill was signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had traveled to assist striking black garbage workers who were seeking equal pay.星期一是美國的全國假日，各地民衆紀念被暗殺的民權運動領袖馬丁·路德·金的誕辰。

1955年，馬丁·路德·金在美國南部城市蒙哥馬利成功地領導了一次抵制公交車運動，迫使該市當局取消了對黑人乘客實行種族隔離的做法，他因此名聲大噪。在上世紀50、60年代爭取民權的運動中，馬丁·路德·金成爲核心人物，在1963年的華盛頓集會中，他發表了著名的“我有一個夢”的演講，激勵了數以百萬計的民衆。

馬丁·路德·金1964年榮獲諾貝爾和平獎，美國總統約翰遜同年簽署了具有里程碑意義的民權法案。

馬丁·路德·金於1968年4月4月在田納西州孟菲斯市遇刺身亡，他前往孟菲斯是爲了支持爭取同工同酬而罷工的收垃圾的美國非洲裔工人。