vocabulary & quotes from Dr. King http://www.opencourtresources.com by Guy Swentek Wilson Elementary

character one’s “inner” qualities I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

demanding request urgently and forcefully Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

a better lawyer, a better teacher. doctorate the highest degree in a field of study Whatever career you may choose for yourself – doctor, lawyer, teacher – let me propose an avocation to be pursued along with it. Become a dedicated fighter for civil rights. Make it a central part of your life. It will make you a better doctor, a better lawyer, a better teacher.

f a i r balanced view; without favoritism God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned.

minister Latin word for servant; church leader Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

powerful ~ mighty ~ It is a sword that heals. Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. Which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.

prejudice "pre-judging" something before the facts are known Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

protests publicly and forcefully making one’s opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy If you will protest courageously, and yet with dignity and Christian love, when the history books are written in future generations, the historians will have to pause and say: “There lived a great people - a black people - who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization.”

R I o t s are the voices of the unheard. a public act of violence by a crowd R I o t s are the voices of the unheard.

v i o l e n c e using physical force to carry out one's will Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.