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Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. This award is given almost every year.
It goes to the person, people, or organization most responsible for promoting peace. King was 35 years old. He was the youngest person ever to receive the prize. In December, he went with family and friends to Oslo, Norway, where the award ceremony took place. On his return, King was showered with honors. The city of Atlanta, where he lived, gave him a fancy dinner event. Together, Black and White people sang the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.” Only a few years before, King had been arrested in Atlanta for trying to eat at an all-White lunch counter.
King spoke at the dinner. He said, “I must confess that I have enjoyed being on this mountaintop and I am tempted to want to stay here and retreat to a more quiet and serene life. But something within reminds me that the valley calls me in spite of all its agonies, dangers, and frustrating moments.” The valley he was headed to was a place called Selma.
