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Martin Luther King, Jr.

National Guard troops lined Beale Street during a protest on March 29 , 1968. “I was in every march, all of ’em, with that sign: I AM A MAN,” recalls former sanitation worker Ozell Ueal.

Traveling Along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

The Strike That Brought MLK to Memphis

In his final days, Martin Luther King Jr. stood by striking sanitation workers. We returned to the city to see what has changed—and what hasn’t

Follow the Path of the Freedom Riders in This Interactive Map

These civil rights activists showed true courage in telling the nation about the segregated South

Some states still celebrate the birthdays of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the same day.

Some States Celebrate MLK Day and Robert E. Lee’s Birthday on the Same Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. has been celebrated on the third Monday in January since the federal holiday was first observed in 1986

The Browns in Topeka, Kansas

The Children of Civil Rights Leaders Are Keeping Their Eyes on the Prize

The next generation is following in the footsteps of its forebears

On the eve of Martin Luther King Day weekend, officials from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture are announcing the recent gift of one of the rare copies of the 1970 Charles Alston sculpture of Martin Luther King.

A Rare and Important Sculpture of Martin Luther King

As the nation pauses to honor the great Civil Rights leader, Charles Alston’s work at NMAAHC is one of his most prominent pieces

"One of the most important contributions" of the film, says Lonnie Bunch, "is the humanization of Dr. King," as portrayed by David Oyelowo.

Breaking Ground

The Director of the African American History Museum Weighs in on ‘Selma’

A film with black history at its core and created by African Americans opens up a “national conversation”

Cool Finds

Read Through Early Drafts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Speeches

One website gives you a peek into the mind of one of America’s most powerful orators

Bearing witness to the historic march and the freedom songs sung along the way, Carl Benkert carried a large tape recorder hidden from the police and angry whites.

Listen to the Freedom Songs Recorded During the March From Selma to Montgomery

When MLK called for people to come to Selma, Detroit’s Carl Benkert arrived with his tape recorder, making the indelible album “Freedom Songs”

A group of young people, joyful at the success of the march, sing while walking through the St. Jude complex in Montgomery.

Traveling Along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail

These Rare Photos of the Selma March Place You in the Thick of History

James Barker, a photographer from Alaska, shares his memories of documenting the famed event

King led a throng of 25,000 marchers through downtown Montgomery in 1965.

The Radical Paradox of Martin Luther King’s Devotion to Nonviolence

Biographer Taylor Branch makes a timely argument about civil right leader’s true legacy

Bernard Kleina took rare color photographs of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Chicago Freedom Movement.

Breaking Ground

A Collection of Rare Color Photographs Depicts MLK Leading the Chicago Freedom Movement

The Smithsonian has acquired some of the only known images of Martin Luther King Jr. at the momentous protest

King at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. After one of King's closest friends, Mahalia Jackson, called out, "Tell them about the dream, Martin. Tell them about the dream," King decided to stop what he had prepared and gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd of more than 250,000.

Photos: Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

Iconic images of King from the Smithsonian collection

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC. USDA

At Long Last, King Memorialized on the Mall

In honor of MLK day, the president of the Martin Luther King Memorial Foundation speaks about seeing the project to fruition

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Martin as Muse

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