Martin Luther King Jr. Sycamore

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was one of the pivotal leaders of the American civil rights movement. King was a Baptist minister, one of the few leadership roles available to black men at the time. He became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957), serving as its first president.

His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Here he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gathered with 3,200 supporters at Brown Chapel, AME, shaded by the parent of this sycamore tree, and they peacefully marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge , toward Montgomery . Their ranks swelled to over 25,000 in the final stretch to the Capitol, four days later.

Did You Know?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Florida in 1964 where he led marches in St. Augustine. Marches led by King were met with violent opposition by segregationists and hundreds of the marchers were arrested and jailed. These actions came to be known at the St. Augustine Movement. The St. Augustine Foot Soldiers Monument was installed in May of 2011 to commemorate some of the peaceful protesters who were important during this portion of the battle for Civil Rights.

Culture Builds Florida: St. Augustine Foot Soldiers Monument
http://culturebuildsflorida.org/tag/st-augustine-foot-soldiers-monument/

Learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights in Florida

National Park Service: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta, GA
http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm

National Civil Rights Museum,Memphis, TN
http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/

Exploring Florida: Civil Rights Movement in Florida
http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/cvl_rts/cvl_rts1.htm

IMLS Florida Memory: Images of the Civil Rights Movement in Florida
http://www.floridamemory.com/onlineclassroom/civilrights/

Proposed Martin Luther King, Jr. Sycamore - Peace Garden

Dr. King led marches in St. Augustine in 1964 as part of the civil rights movement, urging his protesters to remain peaceful even as they met with violent opposition. In his words, “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” The plants in our garden represent peace - Dr. King’s method and his goal.

Examples of Proposed Plants:

Florida Wild Olive (Osmanthus americanus) - The olive branch symbolizes peace.

Peace Rose (Rosa ‘Peace’) - Developed during World War II, Peace Rose blooms were given to each delegation at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations in 1945.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum spp.)