Martin Luther King, Jr.

Published on September 07, 2013 by PBS

Celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with this special collection. Each of the features below is a window into MLK and his legacy on civil rights and equality in the U.S. Be inspired by the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Understanding MLK

Read more about how Martin Luther King Jr.'s creed of non-violence came about in this essay from American Experience.

In this exploration of religion in the Civil Rights Movement from American Experience, you can learn about the years of theological study that informed his work.


Documenting Martin Luther King, Jr.

In January 1968, Public Broadcast Laboratory sent a camera crew to Mississippi to document Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as he traveled all over the South to rally support for the Poor People's Campaign scheduled for May. The documentary was never finished due to King's assassination on April 4, 1968. The film crew was with King at the hotel when he was shot and killed.


Legacy of Love

This documentary reveals the romantic relationship between Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King, Jr. when they met as college students and their dreams for a life of activism and family. From the beginning, they were committed to making the country a better place. Legacy of Love uses historical dramatizations, rare historic archival footage, and images of the Kings in their early years.



Martin Luther King on "The Negro and the American Promise"

Martin Luther King appears in Boston public television producer Henry Morgenthau III's "The Negro and the American Promise," alongside Malcolm X and James Baldwin in 1963.


Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On the 50th anniversary of his assassination, hear from organizers of a commemorative event in Frankfort, Kentucky and watch highlights from speeches at the MLK Memorial March to Move.


Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Robert Graetz

During the Montgomery bus boycott, "it was black Christians teaching white Christians what it mean to be Christian," says a white Lutheran pastor who joined with Martin Luther King Jr. and others to change the world.


Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. in NYC


In preparation to remember the civil rights leader 50 years after his murder, Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater teams up with WNYC to illuminate our nation’s progress and missteps in the fight for equal rights. WNYC’S own Brian Lehrer, host of “The Brian Lehrer Show,” joins us with more.


That Free Men May Live: Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. joins host L. Howard Bennett for a discussion on ideas, methods and words of wisdom on how to achieve the goal of a free society for all. From the June 1, 1960 broadcast of That Free Men May Live.


Children's Books for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Choose from fiction and nonfiction books about ordinary people who stand up for what’s right, and stories about helping others and giving back. From PBS Parents.