The world celebrates Martin Luther King Day

Today, the family of civil rights leader Martin Luther King joined the American public in celebrating his birthday in Washington.

Dr King would have been 83 had his life not been cut short by a gunman in 1968.

The celebrations took place at his monument in Washington which has had more than 2 million visitors since it was opened last August.

Dr King worked for equal civil rights for everyone and in 1968 started a “poor people’s campaign” to give all Americans “decent jobs with decent pay”.

“He did not live to see that come to fruition, and so, 44 years later, we’re still challenging our nation, particularly in light of the fact that there’s so much poverty rampant in this nation,” said his son Martin Luther King the third, who attended the ceremony.

“We’re celebrating the best of what we are, but also what we must become, knowing that we’ve not arrived there yet.”

President Obama and his family also attended a service at Zion Baptist Church, led by Rev Keith Byrd. The priest urged the congregation to preserve King’s teachings whilst living in this period of social, political and economic turmoil.

Tom Chapman