Dr. MARTIN LUTHER King, Jr. will be honoured with a prestigious Blue Plaque in London.
The iconic civil rights leader will have a plaque installed by pioneering organisation Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT) on January 24 2024.
The plaque will be installed at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church on Shaftsbury Avenue, Central London, which is the venue where Dr King gave his first sermon on British soil.
In a statement to The Voice, Dr Jak Beula CEO of the Nubian Jak Community Trust said: “Although Martin Luther King is a name that has transcended generations, I am pleased that we have identified a space where he had a presence in the UK, and where future generations can go to feel connected with him.”
On October 29 1961 in Central London, Dr King delivered his historic and prophetic speech, which he named “The Three Dimensions of the Complete Life.”
The church is a Grade II listed building, but this did not stop NJCT applying for permission to put up the plaque – which will be the organisations 96th plaque installation.
It is believed to be the first time permission has been granted for a blue plaque to be installed on an ecclesiastical building in the UK.
NJCT has celebrated Dr King with other plaques in the United States. The first was installed at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, the site where Martin Luther King Jr. heard Dr Mordecai Johnson deliver a Gandhi inspired speech inspiring to use a non-violence approach for his peaceful civil rights activism.
The second was erected by NJCT at 753 Walnut Street in Camden, New Jersey, where a 20-year-old Michael king, his official name at the time, planned his very first Civil Rights protest.
NJCT has installed over 90 plaques and two statues across the UK honouring Black historical figures like African Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, African Americans leaders like abolitionist Fredrick Douglas, Bob Marley, leader Malcolm X and 19th journalist Ida B. Wells, British Caribbean activist Claudia Jones as well the Nigerian originator of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti.
The installation is being recognised internationally as part of the annual tributes to Dr King which take place in the US every January.
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An excellent tribute to remember an icon.
What a way to start the year honouring a man whose name synonymous with the fight for Freedom and Civil rights echoes down the ages! Dr Jak Beula as always your inspiration and hard work inspires celebrates our Black heroes.
Thank you NJCT for ensuring the story remains in our sights!
What a tremendous honor. I was unaware MLK made it to the UK.
Africa for Africans, home and abroad. One God, One People, One Great Destiny. We have discovered our historic mission and consciously fulfilling it. I am in solidarity with the mission here . We have to honor our heroes and also tell our story with serious conviction. Keep up the good work. Cheers.