Abstract
What is social consciousness? Where does it come from? What inspires it? Who influences it? What moves an individual to make those choices that are part of its makeup? From the “Who inspires it?” category comes a man who had a dream; a man who believed you should be driven by the need to contribute to the betterment of society; a man who felt that the content of your character is more important than the color of your skin; a man who believed
that each person should be allowed to reach his greatest potential. This man was Martin Luther King, Jr. The son of a Baptist preacher. A young man who was raised under the yoke of segregation. A gentleman scholar. A pastor. A preacher. A civil rights worker. A Nobel Peace Prize winner. A husband. A daddy. A lover. A social activist. A humanitarian. A friend. A man of God . . . and a prophet. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who inspired millions of people to social action. The raising of social consciousness is always social action. When a group of us have our social consciousness raised simultaneously, it often results in a social movement. Dr. King raised our social consciousness. He inspired a movement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. served as an inspiration to Black people during the late 1950’s and 1960’s through his work in the Civil Rights Movement and his non-violent social action doctrine for the achievement of equal rights for all people. His legacy is that his life served as an example for those who continue in the fight for equality and justice in this country; a fight that will not end until equal rights is a reality for all people.