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Celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

This year marks what would have been the 90th birthday of late civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Learn more about Dr. King’s life and legacy with these titles in our collection.

A Knock at Midnight: This book highlights eleven of King’s most powerful messages, including his final sermon “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.”

Selma: This 2014 historical drama is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches. The critically acclaimed film was directed by Ava DuVernay and starred David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo.

Boycott: This 2001 made-for-tv movie tells the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, of which King was the leader. The film stars Jeffery Wright, C.C. H. Pounder, and Terrence Howard.

Hotter Than July: Stevie Wonder’s 19th studio album featured the single “Happy Birthday,” which was written in an effort to galvanize support for the creation of a King Holiday. A bill declaring King’s birthday a national holiday would be passed in 1983, three years after the singles’ release. The first King Holiday was observed in 1986, with Stevie Wonder’s hit single becoming a signature of the holiday.

My Life, My Love, My Legacy: Coretta Scott King: King’s late widow Coretta Scott details her life as the woman beside King.

April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death and How It Changed America: Author Michael Eric Dyson takes the reader back to King’s final moments and how his death impacted America.

Martin Luther King Jr: Profiles in Power: Author John A. Kirk examines the relationship between Dr. King and the wider civil rights movement. Explore the complexities of King’s leadership throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s.