Martin Luther King Jr.
© Mary M. Alward
Martin Luther King Jr., was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. Even before he could read, his love of books became evident. He loved nothing better than to be surrounded by them. This love stayed with him all of his life.
Martin attended segregated public school in Georgia. He graduated from high school at the age of fifteen. He then attended Morehouse College, a distinguished segregated school, from which he graduated with a B.A.
Martin's education continued. He studied theology for three years at Cozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected Class President of a predominately white class. In 1951, he received a B.D. He then attended Boston University where he completed his residence for the doctorate in 1953.
In Boston, he met Coretta Scott, who was studying voice at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple fell in love and married on June 18, 1853, in Marion, Georgia. Reverend Martin Luther King Sr., officiated. The couple had four children.
In 1954, Martin accepted a position at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. By this time he was a member of the NAACP. (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.) When Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person, Martin joined her supporters. It was about this time that he met Ralph Abernathy. The relationship continued for the rest of Martin's life.
Martin and Abernathy formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. The organization was formed to provide leadership to the Civil Rights Movement. Martin believed that, according to the Bible, all people were created equal. His goal was to see that Black people were treated equal to all others. Between 1957 and 1968, he traveled over 6,000,000 miles and made more than 2500 speeches in defense of Civil Rights.
On January 14, 1957, Martin's church and home were bombed by those opposing the Civil Rights Movement. He was arrested and abused for his stand, but emerged as a great leader of both the Civil Rights Movement and his people. His dream was to live and fight for the rights of Blacks. In fact, he was prepared to die for the cause.
In March 1963, Martin went to Birmingham, Alabama to promote non-violence. This is when his famous Letter From the Birmingham Jail was written. On August 28, he stood at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, and delivered a speech in front of 250,000 people. Martin had proven himself a great orator.
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