A blue heritage plaque has been revealed in central London to honour the late Martin Luther King Jr., marking the first of its kind in the UK. The plaque has been placed on Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church on Shaftesbury Avenue, where the iconic civil rights activist spoke in 1961. Camden Council and the Nubian Jak Community Trust collaborated on the plaque, which also becomes the first plaque to ever be featured on a place of worship. The blue colour of the plaque symbolises King’s humanitarian work, social justice, and his long-standing commitment to human rights.
Two years before delivering his world-renowned “I have a dream” speech, King visited the capital, where he preached about the importance of living a complete life in Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church. He urged people to lead lives of “equal length, breadth, and height,” meaning a broad life which concerns the welfare of others, a long life in which talents are developed to the full, and a life of height which recognises the essence of God in a complete life. King was assassinated in 1968 and remains a prominent leader in the civil rights movement.
Amongst the attendees at the plaque’s revelation was the US Ambassador to the UK, Jane Hartley, who emphasised the significance of King’s words today as much as then. The event is expected to garner great attention from both locals and foreign visitors alike.
The legacy of Martin Luther King continues to inspire and move people today, decades after his death. The blue heritage plaque will allow Londoners and visitors from around the world to remember King’s message and his visit to Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in 1961, solidifying his mark on the UK’s history and dedication to human rights
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