Historical Spotlight: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The civil rights movement was a pivotal point in Black history and embodied the struggle that Black Americans have always had to go through just to get ordinary rights and liberties in society. The movement relied on numerous powerful Black leaders to rally the community and organize resistance efforts. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on one of the most well-known civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., and the legacy he left in fighting for change.
Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to his parents Alberta and Michael King Sr. His father was a devoted pastor of the Ebenezer Church and helped increase membership from six hundred to several thousand. In 1934, his father attended the Baptist World Alliance held in Germany and Berlin where he learned about the teachings of Martin Luther. He was impacted so much by the conference that he changed both his name and his five-year-old son’s name to Martin Luther King Sr. and Jr.
Martin was around religion throughout his childhood, as the family regularly read the Bible and attended church services. He loved singing hymns while his mother played the piano and often sang in the junior choir. This early exposure helped shape his moral compass and propelled him into becoming a pastor himself.
In September 1935, Martin Jr. started school at the age of six and came face to face with racism for the first time in his young life. He was forced to attend a segregated school for Black children and was denied from playing with one of his white friends whose parents owned a business in his neighborhood. His parents held nothing back, teaching him about the history of slavery and racism in America so he could understand why he faced discrimination as a child. The moment initially lit a fire of hate in him, but his parents insisted that it was his Christian duty to love everyone.
Martin Sr., who actively stood up against segregation and discrimination, was a good example for Martin Jr. He corrected police authorities whenever they referred to him as a boy and not a man, refused to sit in the back simply because of his skin color, and even led a march to Atlanta’s city hall to protest voting rights discrimination. He vocally detested the system regularly so Martin Jr. wouldn’t grow up thinking it was normal.
As Dr. King got older, he excelled in school and developed his own opinions of the world. In 1942, he became the youngest assistant manager of an Atlanta Journal newspaper delivery station at only 13 years old. He also skipped ninth grade and enrolled in the only high school for Black American students, Booker T. Washington High School. Even from an early age, Martin Jr. was interested in learning as much as he could and often used words to defuse potentially violent situations with his schoolmates.
As he learned more in his studies, he started questioning the teachings preached at his father’s church. He denied the bodily resurrection of Jesus and was unable to relate to the emotional displays from members in the congregation. He was uncertain if he’d ever get personal satisfaction from religion like those around him.
In high school, he quickly became known for his public-speaking ability and joined the school’s debate team. On April 13, 1944, he gave his very first public speech during an oratorical contest. His speech, which talked about how Black America was still subjugated to the mercy of white people, helped him win first place, but he was verbally abused by the bus driver and was forced to stand during the entire ride home.
This incident didn’t stop him from continuing to push forward and at only 15 years old, he passed the entrance exam to attend Morehouse College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a renewed fervor for the Baptist Church in 1948. After Morehouse, he continued his studies in Pennsylvania, eventually earning a Bachelor of Divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary in 1951.
Dr. King married Coretta Scott on June 18, 1953 after being introduced by a mutual friend named Mary Powell. Originally Coretta wasn’t sold on dating a preacher, but eventually gave him a chance. The couple went on to have four children named Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice. Coretta was expected to be a housewife and mother and had limited involvement in the civil rights movement.
He earned his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University on June 5, 1955 and immediately jumped into pastoring the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama at the young age of 25. His church was very influential in the community and he quickly became known for his teachings.
After Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks refused to give up their seats on buses in 1955, Martin was asked to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He was chosen to lead because his relative newness in the community made it easier for him to speak out. He was hesitant, but decided to step up to the plate. Unfortunately, the situation became so volatile at one point that his home was bombed and he was arrested and jailed for driving five miles over the posted speed limit. His leadership during the boycott quickly united the community, garnered national attention, and transformed him into one of the most well-known figures of the civil rights movement.
In 1957, Martin Jr., along with a few other civil rights activists, were pivotal in starting the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization that relied on the power of black churches to conduct nonviolent protests for civil rights reform. He led the SCLC until his death. The 1957 Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom in Washington, D.C. was the first time he addressed a national audience.
In 1962, he helped create a document encouraging President Kennedy to issue an executive order similar to a Second Emancipation Proclamation in favor of civil rights. The document was ignored, and the FBI, whose COINTELPRO practices were already in full swing, made him a target that needed to be neutralized in December 1963. They wiretapped his phone, spread false allegations of adultery, intercepted his mail, and even sent anonymous letters to blackmail him into committing suicide.
Of course, during that time, the civil rights movement and leaders were being spied on and heavily infiltrated by the FBI and CIA to stop any progress from being made. When no concrete evidence was found, it was common to fabricate narratives to force powerful voices out of leadership positions. The government tried any and everything to link Dr. King to communist contacts and smeared groups like the SCLC as black nationalist hate groups.
Dr. King believed that organized, nonviolent protests were the key out of segregation. The televised footage of the violence and harassment experienced by civil rights supporters helped produce sympathetic public opinion and pushed it to the forefront of American politics in the early 1960s. He organized and led strategic marches for Black voter rights, desegregation, labor rights, and other basic civil rights.
After being based in Montgomery for five years, he decided to return to Atlanta in December 1959. He served as co-pastor with his dad, but was met with bold hostility from Georgia governor Ernest Vandiver, who started surveillance on him. He immediately jumped in to participate in the Atlanta sit-in held on October 19, 1960 and was arrested alongside the other protestors. Everyone except for him was released over the next few days. He was unjustly sentenced to four months of hard labor because of an unknown plea deal that his lawyer agreed to in May. Again, the arrest and harsh sentence drew national attention and many people feared for Dr. King’s safety in the prison. John F. Kennedy stepped in to put pressure on state authorities and he was released two days later.
In April 1963, the SCLC focused on improving racial and economic conditions in Birmingham, Alabama by using nonviolent, but intentionally confrontational sit-ins to violate laws that they considered unjust. Footage of the local law enforcement using high-pressure water jets and police dogs against the protestors were broadcast on national TV and effectively shocked many white Americans. Dr. King coined his infamous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” when he was arrested. It is considered one of the most important documents written by a modern political prisoner and encouraged that freedom isn’t given, but must be demanded by the oppressed.
Later that year, on August 28, 1963, he led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, one of his most notorious accomplishments. The focus of the march was toned down from highlighting the desperate condition of Black Americans in the South and denouncing the federal government for its failure to protect Black Americans’ civil rights to a less combative tone due to presidential pressure. Other civil rights leaders like Malcolm X opposed the compromise and censorship.
The march was a resounding success with more than 250,000 people in attendance. People filled in from the Lincoln Memorial all the way to the National Mall to hear Dr. King deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech that ultimately helped push the Civil Rights Act of 1964 across the finish line. He continued to push for civil rights in all aspects of society and was heavily involved in other demonstrations like the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965.
Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize on October 14, 1964 to commemorate his efforts in bringing about change without resorting to violent measures. While some praised his tactics, other leaders in the civil rights movement criticized that he didn’t go far enough. Some advocated putting actions behind words when necessary and felt integration would do more harm than good.
He was also against American involvement in the Vietnam War and spoke out publicly against it because he believed it took money and resources that could have been spent on social welfare at home. Unfortunately, his opposition cost him significant support with white allies including President Johnson, union leaders, and powerful publishers.
In 1968, he helped organize the “Poor People’s Campaign” to address disparities in economic justice. He traveled the country to enlist volunteers who would nonviolently march on Washington until Congress created an “economic bill of rights”. This campaign urged the government to invest in rebuilding America’s cities and invest in poverty-stricken communities.
While fighting for change, he was often faced with violent retaliation and death threats from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and even everyday citizens. Over the years, he had been stabbed, shot, and arrested numerous times. Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee in March 1968 to support a group of Black sanitation workers who were striking for higher wages and better treatment. After a massive march unfortunately ended in violence, Dr. King left, but returned to the city on April 3 to deliver his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.
On Thursday, April 4, 1968, he was assassinated by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. He was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 PM. His autopsy showed that his heart was in the condition of a 60-year-old man, not one as young as 39, and revealed the toll that the stress from the civil rights movement caused him.
Many people were saddened and angry that such an important figure in the fight for change was lost. Some turned away from his nonviolent teachings while others continued them in his legacy. There were race riots across the country and some even believe the FBI set up his murder since they were watching him at the time he was shot and were slow to find the killer. Unfortunately, the documents related to the investigation of his death remain classified until 2027.
300,000 people attended his funeral on April 9. On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill to create a federal holiday observed on the third Monday of January to honor Dr. King and his legacy.
He believed that while a full restitution of wages lost to slavery would be impossible, he proposed a government compensatory program of $50 billion over ten years to all disadvantaged groups. While he never saw this become a reality, everyday is one day closer to Black Americans being compensated for the economic, political, and social struggles caused by slavery and discrimination.
As we continue to fight the good fight, it’s important that we as a community keep Dr. King’s legacy, efforts, and teachings in mind. He went toe to toe with people who constantly threatened his life and never gave up. While times may seem difficult, we can always remember that he helped pave the way and serves as an example of the sacrifices that must be made to create a better society for Black Americans.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
