Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights Movement

Overview of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a symbol of peace, courage, sacrifice, and leadership in the civil rights movement.
• King worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) played a pivotal role in civil rights legislation from 1956 to 1968 .

Early Life and Education

• Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929.
• At 15, King entered Morehouse College, an HBCU, and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
• King initially studied law and medicine but was influenced by Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays to follow ministry.
• He earned a bachelor's in theology from Crozer Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University.
• While in Boston, he met and married Coretta Scott King.

Involvement in the Civil Rights Movement

• King became pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
• The Brown v. Board of Education decision desegregating schools led to unrest in Montgomery.
• Rosa Parks's arrest in 1955 sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, where King was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

• 60 black ministers and civil rights leaders formed the SCLC in January 1957 in Atlanta at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
• The SCLC used churches as organizing spaces for civil rights activism.
• Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was selected as the first president of the SCLC.
• Reverend Ralph Abernathy Senior co-founded the SCLC and served as treasurer.
• Bayard Rustin, an advisor, helped King develop the non-violent rhetoric for the movement.
• The SCLC adopted non-violence as a cornerstone strategy open to all regardless of race, religion, or background.

Birmingham Campaign and "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

• King and the SCLC focused on Birmingham, Alabama, to end discriminatory practices, desegregate stores, and accelerate school desegregation.
• King was arrested after a Good Friday demonstration on April 12, 1963.
• While incarcerated, King wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in response to criticism from eight white clergymen against his methods.
• In the letter, King defended the need for immediate action against injustice, stating, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
• King asserted that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
• He expressed disappointment with the white moderate, who he saw as more devoted to order than to justice.

Collaboration and Differences with SNCC

• The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) also worked for desegregation and racial equality.
• The SCLC focused on a charismatic leader, while SNCC emphasized group-centered leadership.
• Both organizations collaborated during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
• Their combined efforts in the 1965 march on Selma led to the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Poor People's Campaign and King's Assassination

• The SCLC launched the Poor People's Campaign in 1967 to close the wealth gap between whites and blacks.
• King advocated for a guaranteed universal basic income and employment.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.
• The Poor People's Campaign collapsed after his death

Legacy and Later Years

• After King's death, the SCLC aided black voter registration and supported protests in the South.
• The Black Power movement gained traction, leading to disillusionment with non-violent protests.
• King's political views were more radical and expansive than often portrayed.
• He criticized the Vietnam War and American imperialism, calling the U.S. government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world."
• Despite his current revered status, King was disapproved of by two-thirds of Americans in 1966.

An overview of Martin Luther King Jr.'s role in the Civil Rights Movement, his early life, education, and pivotal involvement. King's leadership with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) significantly influenced civil rights legislation. His work embodies peace, courage, and leadership in the fight for equality.