Closet Novelist: Where Do We Go From Here? 10 Teachings About Love From Dr. King's Speech

On January 15, 1929, a little boy named Michael was born in Atlanta Georgia to parents Michael Sr. and Alberta. When Michael was five years old, his father attended the Fifth Baptist World Alliance Congress in Germany. When he returned, he changed his name- and that of his son- from Michael to Martin in honor of Martin Luther, a German priest widely considered the father of the Protestant Reformation, who opposed the Catholic Church's practice of selling indulgences to absolve sin. Little did Michael Sr. know that his son, much like the man whose name they took after, would one day also, become a challenger of the status quo and the leader of a great movement. Much is known about Dr. King's pivotal role in fighting for civil rights in the United States. And almost 17 years after his assassination on April 4, 1969, the first Martin Luther King (MLK) Day- held on January 20, 1986- was observed.

Every year since, this holiday is marked on the third Monday of January. Besides Dr. King, there are only two other national figures in the United States that are honored with national holidays. They are George Washington, the nation's first president whose holiday, President's day, is celebrated on the third Monday of February every year, and Christopher Columbus- whose fame (or infamy) stems from his discovery of the Americas and for whom no introduction is required. His holiday is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October.

Dr. King was a well-known orator whose words roused applause and emotion from his audience. Of all his speeches, "I Have A Dream," delivered on August 28, 1963 at the March on Washington is the most famous. But there are many others with similar exhortations that bear mention. In honor of the recent MLK day commemorated on January 16 this year, The ClosetNovelist brings you excerpts from his 1967 "Where Do We Go From Here?" Speech where he addressed delegates of the 11th Convention of the Southern Christian Leader Conference on August 16th in Atlanta Georgia.