Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Black History Month, The Cardinal will feature a prominent and/or historical Black Americans, living or dead, who have worked toward change, advancement, and/or world peace. Some of them are heroes, and some are unsung heroes who deserve recognition, and have made contributions to make society a better place.

Cielo Ugarte, Senior Writer

February 28, 2025

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist who was known for his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.

Michael Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia and was assassinated in Tennessee in 1968. Martin’s father, who had the same name as him, was a baptist minister along with his father and his father’s father. He was born at the time of the Depression which meant that jobs were very hard to come by but he and his family made due.

When he was just a kid he was a paper boy and wanted to be a fireman growing up. Martin knew from a young age the differences that Black people and white people went through, he just never understood why that was the case. In 1936, King’s father led a march to protest for voting rights and that was what started King’s interest to fight for civil rights.

Black people back then were treated horribly just because they had a darker skin color. When they entered anywhere, they were immediately asked to leave. If they went onto a bus they were asked to sit in the very back. Martin knew this and he instantly knew he had to do something about it because it wasn’t right.

In Washington 1963, King started a civil rights march of his own to fight for people of color, their voting rights and equity. More than 250,000 people attended this march and that was when they heard his famous speech that enlightened everyone. His speech said “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.” Although he mentioned his kids, people knew he meant about people of color in general and how it isn’t fair for them to be treated differently because of their skin color. This speech had a huge impact in history and later on had an impact on the Civil Rights Act which ended segregation.

About the Contributor

Cielo Ugarte, Staff Writer

Cielo Ugarte is a senior in the former ALMA academy, VAPA, at Hoover High School. She was born in December and is the youngest of two siblings. She wants to attend community college for two years then hopefully transfer out to UCSD but she still isn’t sure what she wants to major in. She’s currently thinking about majoring in business administration but isn’t exactly sure yet. All she knows is that she wants a job that’ll put her social skills to work. Cielo is part of a big extended family because her grandma had 16 kids. She lives with her mom, dad, brother, aunt, and two dogs, Mimi and Mochi. She wants to learn French, Italian and continue learning sign language so she can be able to communicate with people who are mute. She enjoys listening to music in her free time and also likes to watch movies to kill time. She enjoys listening to any genre of music that isn’t k-pop, country, rock, or heavy metal. She enjoys singing and she also plays the flute. She was a part of the Hoover Cardinal’s Marching Band and played the flute there too. She’s been playing the flute for almost three years now and really enjoys it. Cielo is a very social person who can talk to pretty much anyone but also doesn’t like public speaking or presentations because she has a bit of stage fright. She’s an honest and caring person who always tries to help out the people around her. She likes helping out her friends whenever they may need it.