You may find it strange that a young woman from South Africa is writing an essay about "How Dr Martin Luther King Jr. influenced my life". This, however, is the power and magic of the life and words of this great man - his influence extended around the world and touched even me, 3000 miles away and twenty years later.
Early in the 20th century, Mohandas Gandhi started his political career in South Africa, resisting the discrimination against the Indian people in South Africa. Despite some successes, segregation in South Africa remained a very real reality until the 1990's. Gandhi went bac…