Americans across the country are pausing Monday to observe the federal holiday marking the birthday of slain¹ civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

King first rose to prominence² in 1955 when he led a successful boycott³ of the public buses in the southern city of Montgomery, Alabama, forcing the city to end its practice of segregating⁴ black passengers. He became the central figure of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and '60s, inspiring millions with his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the 1963 March on Washington.

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, the same year a landmark⁵ civil rights bill was signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

King was assassinated⁶ on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had traveled to assist striking black garbage workers who were seeking equal pay.

星期一是美国的全国假日，各地民众纪念被暗杀的民权运动领袖马丁·路德·金的诞辰。

1955年，马丁·路德·金在美国南部城市蒙哥马利成功地领导了一次抵制公交车运动，迫使该市当局取消了对黑人乘客实行种族隔离的做法，他因此名声大噪。在上世纪50、60年代争取民权的运动中，马丁·路德·金成为核心人物，在1963年的华盛顿集会中，他发表了著名的“我有一个梦”的演讲，激励了数以百万计的民众。

马丁·路德·金1964年荣获诺贝尔和平奖，美国总统约翰逊同年签署了具有里程碑意义的民权法案。

马丁·路德·金于1968年4月4月在田纳西州孟菲斯市遇刺身亡，他前往孟菲斯是为了支持争取同工同酬而罢工的收垃圾的美国非洲裔工人。