Martin Luther King Jr. was an influential figure in the American civil rights movement. He played a major role in advocating not only for the rights of African Americans, but for all Americans.  As part of his activism, King travelled to Memphis to support African American sanitation workers who were striking against unequal wages and conditions. On the evening of 4 April 1968, King was fatally shot while standing on a balcony at the Lorraine Hotel.

King’s campaign for equality and human rights stemmed from decades of racial discrimination, limitation of voting rights and segregation policies in the United States of America. Unlike some of his compatriots, King fought for civil rights peacefully, including through boycotts and demonstrations. Martin Luther King Jr. was instrumental in the organisation of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, both of which resulted in significant social and political change.