HAITIAN
INDEPENDENCE DAY
MARTIN LUTHER
KING JR. DAY
JAN
JAN
1
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an essential
person within the civil rights movement who was
assassinated in Memphis trying to change the heart
and minds of others about inequality, discrimination
and segregation. To live in a city where he marched
and spoke for justice has given me the opportunity
to feel connected to him on a completely different
level.
- IMANI NATHANIEL, SALES SUPERVISOR,
MICHAEL KORS, TENNESSEE
"
On January 1st of each year, Haiti celebrates its Independence Day by remembering the founders of Haiti as well as
those who gave their lives in the battle for Haiti's independence. France established the colony of Saint-Domingue
in present-day Haiti in 1659. In 1804, Haiti became the first independent nation in Latin America, the first country
in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery, and the only nation to have successfully gained its independence
through a slave rebellion. Haiti's abolition of slavery changed the conventional understanding of equality, liberty, and
freedom; causing much larger world powers such as Great Britain to follow suit shortly after. To honor the tremendous
significance of the day, Haitians gather in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, to watch parades and fireworks, sing
renditions of the Haitian national anthem, and to dance. The festivities of the day certainly highlight the vibrance of
the Haitian culture and people.
Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the only three Americans to have their birthdays observed as
a national holiday. The other two are Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. King, who entered
college at the age of 15, graduated Morehouse College with a degree in Sociology (BA), a divinity degree from Crozer
Theological Seminary (BDiv), and a PhD from Boston University. Dr. King remains one of the most cherished and
respected leaders whose assassination still elicits painful memories but whose legacy lives on.
"King had debuted the phrase 'I have a dream' in his speeches at least nine months before the March on Washington
and used it several times since then. His advisers discouraged him from using the same theme again, and he had
apparently drafted a version of the speech that didn't include it. But as he spoke that day, the gospel singer Mahalia
Jackson prompted him to 'Tell them about the dream, Martin.' Abandoning his prepared text, King improvised the
rest of his speech, with electrifying results."
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