Righteous Martyr of the 20th Century

When we hear the word martyr we assume the discussion is about a religious figure. The definition of a martyr is someone who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce a belief or cause. A martyr is set to be a great person who has died and will be remembered by those who admired the person. Martin Luther King Jr. has been recently mentioned as a martyr of the 20th century. As we know Martin Luther King Jr. was a great African American activist that had a peaceful philosophy towards rights for blacks and equality but what happens when this method fails? Fred Hampton who lead the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party was murdered on December 4 1969 Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were raided by the Chicago police and were both murdered. The debate weather Fred Hampton should be a modern 20th century martyr is questionable. Fred Hampton was murdered because of his beliefs and should be considered a 20th century martyr.
Fred Hampton was born on August 30, 1948 in Chicago, Ill and grew up in Maywood, a suburb west to the city. Fred attended Proviso East High School, where he graduated with honor in 1966. After his graduation Hampton enrolled in Triton College in River Grove, Ill. He studied pre-law to become more familiar with politics. During his time in college Hampton became active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, becoming the leader of the youth council of the organizations west suburban branch. While studying pre-law in college he studied in particular the law of defense. He used his new knowledge to look out for helpless community members who were being victims of police brutality. Hampton began to show qualities of being a leader as he gathered a 500 youth group from a community of 27,000 members. He worked with his youth members to create better recreational facilities established in the predominantly African American areas of Maywood.