(LANHAM, Md.) – Martin Luther King Jr., born in 1929, became the face of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S.

King, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was at the forefront of demonstrations like the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.

He led the March on Washington in 1963, where he delivered his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech.

Known for his non-violent protests and calls for peace and justice, King became a symbol for African Americans fighting Jim Crow laws in the South.

King was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

Check back all month for WPGC’s tribute to Black History Month.

99.1 WNEW’s Cheryl Simone contributed to this report