Martin Luther King Jr.: Early Life & Boycott

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Early Life and Education

• Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia.
• At 15, King was admitted to Morehouse College, an HBCU in Atlanta, and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
• Initially, King did not plan to become a minister but was influenced by Morehouse College President, Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays.
• King earned a bachelor's degree in divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University.
• While in Boston, he met and married Coretta Scott and then settled in Montgomery, Alabama, where he became pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rise to Leadership

• The Brown v. Board of Education decision heightened tensions in Montgomery, leading to calls for desegregation.
• Rosa Parks' arrest in 1955 sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
• King was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association due to his impeccable reputation and newness to the town.
• The successful boycott led to King being invited to Atlanta to create a similar effort across the South.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

• On January 10-11, 1957, 60 Black ministers and civil rights leaders met in Atlanta to form the SCLC, replicating the Montgomery strategy.
• The SCLC regarded churches as vital organizing spaces for civil rights activism.
• Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was chosen as the first president of the SCLC.
• Reverend Ralph Abernathy Sr. co-founded the SCLC and served as treasurer.
• Bayard Rustin, while not in a formal leadership position, served as King's advisor and helped develop the movement's non-violent rhetoric.
• From the beginning, the SCLC identified non-violence as their cornerstone strategy
• The SCLC movement was open to all individuals regardless of race, religion, or background

Birmingham Campaign and "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

• King and the SCLC aimed to bring national attention to the plight of Black Americans in Birmingham, Alabama.
• The campaign sought to end discriminatory hiring practices, desegregate stores, and accelerate school desegregation.
• King was arrested on April 12, 1963, during a Good Friday demonstration.
• While in jail, King wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in response to criticism from white clergymen.
• "Letter from Birmingham Jail" defended the urgency of the civil rights movement and rejected the idea of gradualism.
• King asserted that the white moderate was a major obstacle to the civil rights movement.
• The letter criticized those who prioritized order over justice and paternalistically set timetables for another man's freedom.
• The letter became a central document of the civil rights movement and was published in newspapers and magazines nationwide.

SCLC and SNCC Collaboration and Achievements

• The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was another organization working toward desegregation and racial equality.
• The SCLC emphasized a charismatic central leader (Dr. King), while SNCC emphasized group-centered leadership.
• The two organizations collaborated on events like the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the 1965 March on Selma.
• Their combined efforts led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Poor People's Campaign and King's Assassination

• In late 1967, the SCLC launched the Poor People's Campaign to address economic inequality between whites and blacks.
• King advocated for a guaranteed universal basic income and guaranteed employment for anyone willing to work, addressing poverty
• Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.
• The Poor People's Campaign collapsed after King's death.
• The SCLC continued to aid Black voter registration and support protests, but the Black Power movement gained momentum.

King's Broader Political Views and Legacy

• King's political views were more radical and expansive than often portrayed.
• He advocated for a guaranteed universal basic income and employment.
• King spoke out against the Vietnam War and American imperialism.
• In a 1967 speech, he called the United States government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world".
• In 1966, two-thirds of Americans did not approve of King or his work, showing his unpopularity
• King's advocacy for social change, challenging the status quo, and fighting against those in positions of power faced vilification.
• King's last speech emphasized the inevitability of reaching the "promised land" and fighting for a better world.