Martin Luther King Gets A London Blue Plaque

M@
By M@ Last edited 9 months ago

Last Updated 19 March 2024

Martin Luther King Gets A London Blue Plaque

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A plaque to Martin Luther King in London
Image: Matt Brown

One of the greatest names of the 20th century finally has a London plaque. The Reverend Dr Martin Luther King is now commemorated with a disc at the Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in London

The civil rights activist is a figure of international importance and is rightly commemorated around the world. But he also has a special connection to London. He made a brief visit to the capital in October 1961, when he gave a speech at the church where his plaque is now on display. This was two years before his "I have a dream" speech.

King would return again in 1964, at the height of his fame (indeed, he was on his way to receive a Nobel Peace Prize), at St Paul's Cathedral.

The plaque was erected by the Nubian Jak Community Trust, whose work commemorating people of Black and minority ethnic people in Britain we've appreciated before. You'll find it at the northern end of Shaftesbury Avenue, in St Giles.