A look at Martin Luther King’s life through camera lens — PHOTOS

The Associated Press

7 years ago

In this March 22, 1956, file photo, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is welcomed with a kiss by his wife, Coretta, after leaving court in Montgomery, Ala. King was found guilty of conspiracy to boycott city buses in a campaign to desegregate the bus system, but a judge suspended his $500 fine pending appeal. (Gene Herrick/AP)

In this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. acknowledges the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial for his “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington. (AP)

In this undated file photo, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preaches in Albany, Ga. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP)

In this March 1, 1965 file photo, registrar Carl Golson shakes a finger at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during meeting at the courthouse in Hayneyville, Ala. King inquired about voter registration procedures but Golson told him that if he was not a prospective voter in Lowndes county, “It’s none of your business.” King visited two nearby counties after leading a voter registration drive in Selma. (AP Photo/Horace Cort, File)

In this Dec. 10, 1964 file photo, U.S. civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King receives the Nobel Peace Prize from Gunnar Jahn, chairman of the Nobel Committee, in Oslo, Norway. (AP )

In this July 27, 1962 file photo, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is arrested by Albany’s Chief of Police Laurie Pritchett after praying at City Hall in Albany, Ga. King participated in a month’s long campaign of local anti-segregation led by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. (AP)

In this April 3, 1968 file photo, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stands with other civil rights leaders on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., a day before he was assassinated at approximately the same place. From left are Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson, King, and Ralph Abernathy. (Charles Kelly/AP)

FILE – In this June 12, 1964 file photo, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks to Andrew Young as King rides in the back seat of a police car with a police dog as he is returned to jail in St. Augustine, Fla., after testifying before a grand jury investigating racial unrest in the city. (AP Photo)

FILE – In this 1960 file photo, Martin Luther King Jr. speaks in Atlanta. The civil rights leader had carried the banner for the causes of social justice — organizing protests, leading marches and making powerful speeches exposing the scourges of segregation, poverty and racism. (AP Photo)

Martin Luther King Jr. was 39 when he was assassinated on the evening of April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, and he had already become one of the world’s most well-known figures.

He helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus.

He famously delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington, calling for equality among the races.

He pushed for federal civil rights legislation that was eventually enacted and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. King’s example, and his insistence on nonviolent protest, continues to influence many activists pushing for civil rights and social change.