We have a dream...


Friday at last! Believe it or not, we're almost 3 weeks into January already! Where has the time gone?This also means that this coming Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is celebrated on the 3rd Monday of January each year. First designated as a federal holiday after President Ronald Regan signed a bill in 1983, it was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. In January 2000, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed in all 50 US states. It was King's insistence on equal rights and justice for all Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s that led to a national holiday named in his honor.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929, growing up King experienced extreme racial prejudice, with segregation being both law, known as 'Jim Crow Laws', and custom in the deep South and other parts of America. Black people had different schools, toilets and even different sections on the bus to white people!  Dr. King married Coretta Scott in 1953, going on to become the parents for 4 children; Yolanda King, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King, and Bernice King.

The following year, in 1954, at 25 years old, Dr King became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

King's first major role in the Civil Rights Movement was in 1955, when Rosa Parks, an African American lady, was arrested in the city for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on the bus. Martin helped organize a boycott of the city of Montgomery's buses and after 381 days of protesting, a court finally ruled that such segregation laws should no longer be recognized.

His belief was that peaceful refusal to obey unjust law was the best way to bring about social change, a belief inspired by the Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi.

King was arrested several times during his lifetime, the first of which was when he joined black college students in a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in 1960. at the time, Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy intervened to have King released from jail.

One of King's most iconic and memorable moments, and what most of us first think of when we hear his name, is when he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the 'March on Washington' rally on August 28, 1963. With over 250,000 people gathered in the capital to hear Martin and other activists speak about the importance of civil rights, it has become one of the most famous speeches in history, focusing on Martin's dream of a society where black people and white people live together in harmony.

The following year, in 1964, 99 years after the abolition of slavery, the Civil Rights Act was passed, outlawing racial segregation and discrimination in the USA. In October of the same year, Martin became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, at aged 35. He turned over his prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.

Tragically, on the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis Tennessee, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder, spending the rest of his life in prison before dying in 1998.

Dr. King's impact is still a crucial part to today's society, and it goes to show that when you have a dream and perseverance, it's possible to make it a reality. In honor of Monday's holiday we here in the TTG offices discussed our dreams for the year ahead, and while not as substantial as King's dream, we hope we too can make them a reality.

TTG Girl Gang's Dreams for 2019:
1) Surround ourselves with people who support and encourage us to keep going.

2) Make a positive difference to the lives of those around us.

3) Cut down on waste, both at home and in the workplace. We were given ONE planet earth, it's our job to nurture it.

4) Stand up for our beliefs. If it wasn't for Dr. King standing up against the norm because he believed it was unjust, the world would be a very different place.

5) Travel more. As the saying goes - "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."

That's all for now, thanks for reading! We'll be back in the office on Tuesday, after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Have a good one and stay safe xx





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