Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr.

In June of 2008, we visited Atlanta Georgia and we had the chance to go to Martin Luther King Jr.'s memorial and the home where he was born and raised. Today, we read a great book about him in honor of his birthday that just passed and after reading it, the girls wanted to look at some of the photos from our vacation. So I thought I would share...

 
From the national historic site where there is a museum spanning the accomplishments and struggles of his life, you actually have to walk through the neighborhood where he grew up to see his home and memorial. It was very evident with a short walk how much the street he grew up on influenced his life and his eventual fight for equality. His experience was mostly middle class, modest, but comfortable. Just steps across the street from his home, in the rows of "shot gun houses" most of his friends had a very different life. Even as a young child he was aware of this, and thought it was unfair that this cycle of poverty continued with no real opportunity for people to create a better life for themselves. This was his motivation to make a difference.

 
I'm not sure if we've ever to been to a historic site where the the impact of the events that occurred there (both good and bad) is quite so palpable. It was both an inspiring and really sad place to visit.