Martin Luther King Jr’s Impact on the Latino Community

This past Monday, January 18th, the United States remembered the birthday of the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a pastor, activist, and martyr, whose fight for racial equality marked a before and after for the Black community between the ’50s and ’60s.

Known for his speech, “I have a dream,” the leader called for equality and justice for all citizens, which is embodied in the Constitution of the USA, and launched a cry of hope that someday their children could “live in a nation where they are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Half a century later, that “dream” has managed to consolidate in part for the Black community in the United States, but there’s still much more to be accomplished.

Dr. King’s words resonate with minorities in the fight for social justice and have been a symbol for the Latino community as an example of potent activism.

While King stood up for Black Americans during his time in 1962, his struggle also inspired Latinos, especially Mexican Americans, who started their own movements, such as the National Farm Workers Association, with César Chávez at the head.

Photo Credit: United Farm Workers

And from 1965 Chavez led several strikes in the grape fields until the famous boycott in Delano in 1970, which resulted in better working conditions and wages for farmworkers.

“Martin Luther King Jr and Cesar Chavez didn’t meet but corresponded. Cesar followed Dr. King’s career & admired his stand for nonviolence, use of the boycott & personal sacrifice. King respected Cesar sending him 2 telegrams-including one during his 1968 25-day fast for nonviolence,” per the United Farm Workers organization.

Photo Credit: United Farm Workers

Half a century after King’s struggle, the spirit of this leadership continues to be a source of inspiration for many, as has been seen recently in the Black Lives Matter Movement and all-around activism in the recent 2020 elections.

Here are some of our favorite Martin Luther King Jr quotes!

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

“A riot is the language of the unheard.”

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”