Remembering Dr. MLK Jr.'s birthday: Local pastor recalls his visit to St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – Jan. 15 marks the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a towering figure in the fight for civil rights and social justice.

FOX 2 sat down with a local pastor who met King and said it’s a day he will never forget.

King’s birthday is marked every year on the third Monday in January. Rev. Earl Nance Jr. is the pastor of Greater Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, having the opportunity to meet King when he paid a visit to St. Louis.

Nance’s father was a classmate of King at Morehouse College. Although Nance was just 9 years old at the time, he knew King would change the world.

“Well, it meant a lot to me then, and to see what happened afterwards and the impact that he did make, that led to the Voting Rights Act and other acts that paved the way for Black people to vote and go to facilities like everybody else. That was very significant during that period of time in the early sixties,” he said.

During King’s only visit to St. Louis, Nance had the chance to take a photo with him and other community leaders. King spoke at Washington Tabernacle Baptist Church, where Nance's uncle was the minister. 

“My dad did a wonderful introduction of him, and Dr. King got up, and he mesmerized the crowd with his dynamic speaking voice and messages... one night I'd never forget,” Nance said. “Dr. King spoke to me there and asked me a question: did I know why they were there? I said, ‘I think so,’ and he said, ‘We're here to create a future for you and children like you.’”

Six years later, in 1968, Dr. King was assassinated. He was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

King's birthday was approved as a federal holiday in 1983, with all 50 states making it a state government holiday by 2000.