A great man once said, "I have a dream." Martin Luther King, Jr. foughtfor civil rights, and many consider him a hero. I do, too, because he never gave up on what hebelieved, persevered and was a strong leader who sought alternative solutions when it appearedthere were none.

Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero because he never gave up. Whenthere were difficulties, he did not stop and kept striving to reach his goal. He viewed all people as equal andI admire him because he harbored no hate. All he wanted was a world in which people would not bediscriminated against because of skin color.

King was a strong leader. He stood up and spoke hisviews without hesitation. His confidence gave his followers what they needed in order to take a stand,knowing they would be supported. Even through tense times, he managed to stay strong, never backingdown.

King considered alternatives. He could easily have told his followers to rise up and commitviolent acts, yet he did not. King instead took a non-violent approach, saying, "Non-violence is theanswer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppressionand violence without resorting to oppression and violence." By encouraging boycotts and marchesinstead of rioting and fighting, he achieved the same result - without bloodshed.

When consideringhis strong will, leadership and wise decision-making, some may say these are qualities all heroes shouldhave. But what made Martin Luther King Jr. different was what he believed in, and what he accomplished.Look at what he strove for, and keep in mind these words, "If a man hasn't discovered something thathe will die for, he isn't fit to live."