This particular telling of the life of Martin Luther King Junior begins with the story of how he joined the Baptist Church at 5 years old. At that age he was called ‘M.L.’ by those who knew him best. Oates goes on to explain the world in which M.L. was raised. He was born into a church family on Jan. 15, 1929. His dad, MLK Sr. was a reverend at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and his mother was an organist. Their church was extremely spiritual and focused on emotional connections with God. He believed for a while that this extremely emotional display was quite embarrassing and he was ashamed of the way his father carried himself during sermons. However, he spent a majority of his childhood in the church and even appreciated the structure it provided for his life. In addition to the positive aspects obtained from church membership, M.L was blessed with a good home life growing up in the segregated south. He lived in a middle class neighborhood with a brother and sister, and grandmother and his loving parents, Alberta and Mike. The Rev. King set about raising his children better than he was raised as a son of sharecropper in rural GA. His father was an abusive alcoholic so Rev. King left his family in search of a better life, where he was called to ministry. M.L.’s mother Alberta came from an influential family, whose father was extremely involved in not only ministry, but civil rights as well.
The marriage between the two was strong and they maintained a solid relationship. MLK Jr. was quickly exposed to the realities of the prejudiced south, especially when he realized the differences in treatments that he saw on a day to day basis. Despite these obstacles, he still excelled in school and social interactions. He maintained a good relationship with his family, even when he argued with his father over the career path he would take. He rejected the offer of Pastor and sought to further himself with education. A quick learner, he graduated high school at the age of 15 and college at the age of 19. After this feat, he finally accepted his call to ministry. He then went on to attend seminary and then obtained a PhD from Boston University, occasionally taking classes at Harvard. Through the course of his studies, he was introduced to various writers, philosophers, and influential figures such as Thoreau, Gandhi, Rauschenbusch, Marx, Lenin, and Nietzsche who all helped to shape his modern political and religious ideals. MLK Jr. finally met Coretta Scott, an intelligent young woman from Alabama studying music at the New England Conservatory. The two were married in June 1953 just when King was accepting a Pastor position in a small church in Montgomery, AL. At this time, the south was in turmoil over the recent overturning by the Supreme Court of Plessey V. Ferguson in the Brown V. Board of Education case. It was during this time that King knew he was capable of helping to change the current conditions. King’s congregation grew fond of him and his sermons and felt a sense of safety in his church, away from the harsh realities of Montgomery. He became actively involved in the NAACP and became appalled at the overall apathy exhibited by African Americans in the South.
Through his work, he became fast friends with a fellow activist and pastor, Ralph Abernathy. At this time, King and his wife were blessed with the news of a baby girl, a much needed surprise and relief that occurred during such violent times. Finally, on December 2, 1955, the NAACP caught a break when a Miss Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus. Her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Activists worked tirelessly to gain equality, but with little avail. The city wasn’t cooperating, along with the inter-racial council. King and his friends were receiving hate mail and phone calls quite frequently, as they were making many enemies in Montgomery. On Jan. 30, the night of Gandhi’s assassination, King received word that his home had been bombed. King and many of his supporters eventually turned themselves over to the Montgomery County jail. On March 19th of that year, King stood trial in Montgomery concerning the legality of the boycott and was found guilty and charged with heavy court costs and hard labor. After all of the non-violent resistance, King finally received word that the US Supreme Court found Alabama’s segregated bus law unconstitutional.
127 our experts are availableright now
