AllMovie

This edition of Biography, the long running documentary series from A&E, explores the life of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. In December 1955, after Montgomery civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to obey the city's policy mandating segregation on buses, black residents launched a bus boycott and elected King president of the newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association, gaining him national prominence. In 1963, he led a group of unarmed black demonstrators who were attacked by police with dogs and fire hoses which generated newspaper headlines throughout the world. Subsequent mass demonstrations in many communities culminated in a march on August 28, 1963, attracting more than 250,000 protesters to Washington, D.C. Addressing the marchers from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" oration. During the year following the march, King's renown as a nonviolent leader grew, and, in 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize before being assassinated in 1968.