Gold ducat Cult of personality - Martin Luther King proof

The admired figure of Martin Luther King appears on the third gold ducat of the Czech Mint from the series called Cult of Personality.

Although the United States of America promised its citizens freedom and the opportunity to pursue happiness regardless of their ancestry, even in the first half of the 20th century, African-Americans had to endure daily discrimination from their fellow whites. Racial segregation was pervasive - in schools, restaurants, movie theaters, and mass transit - but when a black woman was arrested in 1955 for not giving up her seat on a bus to a white man, members of an oppressed race ran out of patience. African-American groups launched a boycott of public transport and chose a young man named Martin Luther King as their leader. He started out as an inexperienced politician from Alabama, but by the late 1950s and early 1960s he had managed to turn a local issue into one that moved the nation. Following the example of Mahatma Gandhi, he preached a method of nonviolent civil disobedience that contrasted sharply with the brutality of the racists. The combination of natural charisma, two doctorates and experience as a Baptist priest made him an unrivalled public speaker who could captivate his audience with his speech. His 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech, which culminated the quarter-million-strong March on Washington, has rightly gone down in history. Dr. King described his vision of a united America without prejudice, which spurred the US government to action. African-Americans soon saw laws banning racial discrimination in employment, education and voting rights. Martin Luther King was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize, and who knows how his fight for equality would have continued had it not been ended prematurely by a rifle shot...

The obverse side of the medal, which is the work of academic sculptor Jiří Dostál, presents a characteristic portrait of Martin Luther King accompanied by his name and life dates. The reverse side is dominated by the central phrase of King's most famous speech, I HAVE A DREAM, which is supported by fragments of the American flag.

A special supplement is an integral part of the ducat, offering an objective view of Martin Luther King through the eyes of historian Pavel Kosatik.