Jelena, élève de 3G
Bonjour, je m’appelle Jelena Abate, je suis en 3ème année en option Langues depuis maintenant 3 ans. J’ai toujours été passionnée par l’apprentissage des langues dont l’Anglais. Voici ma biographie sur Martin Luther King Jr que nous avons dû réaliser pour le cours de renfo.
Today, I’m going to talk about one of the greatest men in history: Martin Luther King Jr. He was born on January 15th, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a minister, and his mother was a teacher. At that time, Black people were considered « inferior » to white people. When Martin was six, he experienced racism for the first time. One of his friends, Mike, told him that they could no longer play together because they attended different schools. Wherever they went, they faced racism at least once, but nothing could stop him.
At the age of 15, he entered college, skipping two grades, and graduated at 19 with a degree in sociology. He also became a pastor, just like his father and grandfather. The laws in the southern states were unfair towards Black people, and no one seemed to be able to change that. But Martin had an idea: « Use love, not violence. » He made powerful speeches that attracted huge crowds. Thousands of people came to hear his inspiring words. At the age of 34, he delivered his famous speech in Washington D.C., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, demanding jobs and freedom. More than 200,000 people attended. Thirty special buses brought people there, and even an 82-year-old man rode from Ohio to participate. A year later, Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize.
This man is truly inspiring. He also led the Selma March to help Black people register to vote. Unfortunately, many people hated him. His house was bombed, and schools and churches were burned. This shows that when you’re successful, some people become jealous. He had many enemies, including those in power. He was arrested 30 times. The truth is always hard for some people to accept. Martin Luther King Jr. also wrote books and, as I mentioned, he believed in using love, not violence—unlike some others might have done.
Did you know that MLK helped Rosa Parks ? She was born in Alabama in 1913 and grew up on a farm. She worked as a seamstress. At 42, she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus. Black people had to sit in the back, but Rosa sat in the front. When the driver told her to move for a white person, she refused. She was fined $10, but she did not give up. Imagine living in a world where you cannot drink from the same water fountains or attend the same schools as others. MLK helped her because they shared the same values and wanted to improve the lives of African Americans. Together, they fought against Jim Crow laws and succeeded. The bus company lost a lot of money because segregated buses represented more than 75% of their income.
Let’s return to MLK. On April 3rd, he led a demonstration in Memphis, Tennessee, for poor workers (garbage men). The next day, he was assassinated by a sharpshooter at the age of 39. Incredible souls are always taken too soon. Even though he was young, he was both angry and hopeful for the future of America.
To end this biography, I want to share my favourite quote: “Only in darkness can you see the stars.” For me, this means that there is always light even in the darkest moments. The first time I heard it was when Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election in the USA. To us, MLK will never truly be gone. He worked so hard for the Civil Rights Movement that no one will ever forget him. Martin Luther King Jr. will always be an inspiration to me, and I hope that’s clear to you too.
