Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday Marked by Common, Dr. Oz and Floyd Mayweather

By Christine Thomasos, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 84 on Jan 15, and a number of high-profile people decided to commemorate the day with their Twitter followers.

Common, hip-hop artist and actor, called the civil rights activist a king in a tweet.

"Happy Birthday to one of the Greatest Kings to live," Common wrote. "Martin Luther King Jr. GOD Bless His Soul."

Boris Becker, former number one professional tennis player in the world hailing from Germany, called King a great man while wishing him a happy birthday.

"There are few truly great men, he was a giant amongst them," Becker tweeted. "Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr. Rest well sir!"

While athletes like Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas, undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather and Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal shared simple messages like, "Happy Bday Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," and "Happy birthday to the GREAT Martin Luther King Jr," others shared their favorite quotes from the civil rights leader.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase," political activist Kevin Powell tweeted while citing King for the quote.

Kristie Anne Kenney, American diplomat and United States ambassador to Thailand, tweeted another quote from the late reverend and civil rights leader.

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree," Kenney tweeted, honoring King.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiac surgeon most known for being the host of the "The Dr. Oz Show," took to Twitter to speak about being grateful to King for the many messages that he shared with the world.

"Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been 84 today. We are forever grateful for his message of peace and equality and the change he inspired," Oz tweeted.

Musiq Soulchild, soul music singer, decided to recognize King's service to humanity.

"Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. May your spirit of unity continue to serve humanity," the singer tweeted. "We are forever indebted to you for selfless work, and can only do our very best to honor your legacy of peace!!!"

King, a Baptist preacher, helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with other civil rights activists and conducted non-violent protests on behalf of civil liberties and racial equality before being gunned down in 1968.