Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent civil rights leader in the United States known for his advocacy of nonviolent protest. He was born in 1929 in Atlanta and received degrees from Morehouse College and Crozer Theological Seminary. King co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work to end racial segregation through civil disobedience. He was assassinated in 1968 and is remembered for his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating for racial equality and justice.