DR.

Martin Luther King Jr an Inspirational Figure

Martin Luther king Jr is one of the most important activists in African-American History. Martin
Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in
the United States from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. King is remembered for his
non-violent protest’s segregation and his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Facts of Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. King, a Baptist minister and civil-
rights activist, had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States, beginning in the mid-
1950s. Among his many efforts, King headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC). Through his activism and inspirational speeches, he played a pivotal role in ending the
legal segregation of African-American citizens in the United States, as well as the creation of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in
1964, among several other honors. He was assassinated in April 1968 and continues to be
remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational African-American leaders in history.

Childhood Life

Born as Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was the middle child of
Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. The King and Williams families were rooted in
rural Georgia. Martin Jr.'s grandfather, A.D. Williams, was a rural minister for years and then
moved to Atlanta in 1893. He took over the small, struggling Ebenezer Baptist church with
around 13 members and made it into a forceful congregation. He married Jennie Celeste Parks
and they had one child that survived, Alberta. Michael King Sr. came from a sharecropper family
in a poor farming community. He married Alberta in 1926 after an eight-year courtship. The
newlyweds moved to A.D. Williams' home in Atlanta. Michael King Sr. stepped in as pastor of
Ebenezer Baptist Church upon the death of his father-in-law in 1931. He too became a successful
minister and adopted the name Martin Luther King Sr. in honor of the German Protestant
religious leader Martin Luther. In due time, Michael Jr. would follow his father's lead and adopt
the name himself.

Education

Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr. entered public school at age 5. In
May 1936 he was baptized, but the event made little impression on him. In May 1941, Martin
was 12 years old when his grandmother, Jennie, died of a heart attack. The event was traumatic
for Martin, more so because he was out watching a parade against his parents' wishes when she
died. Distraught at the news, young Martin jumped from a second story window at the family
home, allegedly attempting suicide.
In 1948, Martin Luther King Jr. earned a sociology degree from Morehouse College and attended
the liberal Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. He thrived in all his studies,
and was valedictorian of his class in 1951, and elected student body president. He also earned a
fellowship for graduate study. But Martin also rebelled against his father’s more conservative
influence by drinking beer and playing pool while at college. He became involved with a white
woman and went through a difficult time before he could break off the affair.

During his last year in seminary, Martin Luther King Jr. came under the guidance of Morehouse
College President Benjamin E. Mays who influenced King’s spiritual development. Mays was an
outspoken advocate for racial equality and encouraged King to view Christianity as a potential
force for social change. After being accepted at several colleges for his doctoral study, including
Yale and Edinburgh in Scotland, King enrolled at Boston University.

Violation Happened in Montgomery Bus

On March 2, 1955, a 15-year-old girl refused to give up her seat to a white man on a
Montgomery city bus in violation of local law. Claudette Colvin was arrested and taken to jail.
At first, the local chapter of the NAACP felt they had an excellent test case to challenge
Montgomery's segregated bus policy. But then it was revealed that she was pregnant and civil
rights leaders feared this would scandalize the deeply religious black community and make
Colvin (and, thus the group's efforts) less credible in the eyes of sympathetic whites.

On December 1, 1955, they got another chance to make their case. That evening, 42-year-old
Rosa Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus to go home after an exhausting day at work. She
sat in the first row of the "colored" section in the middle of the bus. As the bus traveled its route,
all the seats in the white section filled up, then several more white passengers boarded the bus.

The bus driver noted that there were several white men standing and demanded that Parks and
several other African Americans give up their seats. Three other African American passengers
reluctantly gave up their places, but Parks remained seated. The driver asked her again to give up
her seat and again she refused. Parks was arrested and booked for violating the Montgomery City
Code. At her trial a week later, in a 30-minute hearing, Parks was found guilty and fined $10 and
assessed $4 court fee.

Assassination

By 1968, the years of demonstrations and confrontations were beginning to wear on Martin
Luther King Jr. He had grown tired of marches, going to jail, and living under the constant threat
of death. He was becoming discouraged at the slow progress of civil rights in America and the
increasing criticism from other African-American leaders. Plans were in the works for another
march on Washington to revive his movement and bring attention to a widening range of issues.
In the spring of 1968, a labor strike by Memphis sanitation workers drew King to one last
crusade.

On April 3, he gave his final and what proved to be an eerily prophetic speech, “I’ve Been to the
Mountaintop,” in which he told supporters at the Mason Temple in Memphis, "I've seen the
promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people,
will get to the promised land." The next day, while standing on a balcony outside his room at the
Lorraine Motel, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by a sniper's bullet. The shooter, a malcontent
drifter and former convict named James Earl Ray, was eventually apprehended after a two-
month, international manhunt.

The assassination sparked riots and demonstrations in more than 100 cities across the country. In
1969, Ray pleaded guilty to assassinating King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He died
in prison on April 23, 1998.

Here are the most achievements of Martin Luther King Jr.

1. KING WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF SCLC- Inspired by the bus boycott, King,
along with other civil rights activists, founded the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC) in 1957 to coordinate their efforts. King was the president of SCLC
till his assassination in 1968. The SCLC had a large role in the American Civil Rights
Movement.

2. KING WAS TIME MAGAZINE’S MAN OF THE YEAR IN 1963- In its January 1964
issue, Time named Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Man of the Year” for 1963 recognizing him
as a fearless leader who fought to bring equality in America. He was the first African
American recipient of this honor. Martin saw it not as a personal honor but as a tribute to
the civil rights movement.

3. HE BECAME THE YOUNGEST RECIPIENT OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE-

On October 14, 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for leading non-violent
resistance to racial prejudice in the U.S. At the age of thirty-five, he was the youngest
recipient of the award at the time.

4. HE ACHIEVED SUCCESS USING NON-VIOLENT METHODS OF PROTEST-

King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s success with non-violent activism. His trip to
India made him understand non-violent resistance better and he was convinced that that
was the way forward for achieving civil rights for American blacks. King was hugely
successful in achieving his goals through civil disobedience and other such practices.
This enhanced the stature of non-violent methods of protest throughout the world.
5. MARTIN LUTHER KING BECAME THE SYMBOLIC LEADER OF AFRICAN
AMERICANS- From 1957 till his assassination, King traveled over six million miles
and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice. He
led many protests and wrote five books and several articles. He was renowned worldwide
as the symbolic leader of African Americans.

6. HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ORGANIZING THE GREAT MARCH ON

WASHINGTON- King represented SCLC and was one of the leaders of the ‘Big Six’
civil rights organizations who organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
The march took place in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. It was a resounding
success with over 250,000 participants, making it was one of the largest political rallies
for human rights in US history. It motivated other marches and laid the stepping stone to
the passage of Civil Rights Act (1964).

Legacy

Martin Luther King Jr.'s life had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States.
Years after his death, he is the most widely known African-American leader of his era.
His life and work have been honored with a national holiday, schools and public
buildings named after him, and a memorial on Independence Mall in Washington, D.C.
But his life remains controversial as well. In the 1970s, FBI files, released under the
Freedom of Information Act, revealed that he was under government surveillance, and
suggested his involvement in adulterous relationships and communist influences. Over
the years, extensive archival studies have led to a more balanced and comprehensive
assessment of his life, portraying him as a complex figure: flawed, fallible and limited in
his control over the mass movements with which he was associated, yet a visionary
leader who was deeply committed to achieving social justice through nonviolent means.

Reference to Leadership theories

The Traits of a Leader: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr was a successful leader of the African American civil rights movement in the
United States. He was intelligent in the fact that he was able to lead African Americans in
a nonviolent way to the advancement of civil rights. He was powerful and he used his
power to influence the believers. Dr. King was educated receiving his Doctor of
Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Boston University. Having strong verbal ability,
perceptual ability, and reasoning appears to make one a better leader (Northouse, 2016).
His verbal ability was extremely strong. The “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered
during the march on Washington where he called for an end to racism. Over 40 years
later the powerful speech lives on. Dr. King inspired many with his speech.
Dr. King’s confidence and poise drew followers. He was confident in his abilities to lead
the African American community to one day be treated equal. Had Dr. King lacked self-
confidence he would not have been able to change the lives of the African American
people. Dr. King did not let any negatives against him stop him from achieving greatness.

Dr. King was determined to fulfill his dream of one day being treated as equal. His drive
and passion inspired others to follow him. Even when times were rough and he was put
into prison, he still did not waiver. He continued his nonviolent journey for the African
American people. Dr. King put himself and dangerous situations for his people and he
gave it all. The perseverance that Dr. King had was why his movement was so powerful.
In the end, he paid the ultimate sacrifice as he fought for freedom. He was assassinated
by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite the turmoil that he faced with, he
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His life and work have been honored with a
national holiday, schools and public buildings named after him, and a memorial on
Independence Mall in Washington DC (Assefa, 2016). Had Dr. King not been
determined; he would not have received all the accolades.

Even though everyone is not born to lead, they can still make a difference within their
organization. One can possess different leadership traits that will help them to be
effective leaders within their organization. Dr. King was the one person within his group
of African Americans to take charge. He excelled in every aspect to lead his people to
being treated as equal. The leadership traits that he possessed allowed him to fulfill his
dream. Dr. King showed that he was the best leader that he could be. Even though he is
no longer alive, his legacy lives on.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a transformational leader. “[T]transformational leadership

starts with the development of a vision, a view of the future that will excite and convert
potential followers. This vision may be developed by the leader, by the senior team or
may emerge from a broad series of discussions. The important factor is the leader buys
into it, hook, line, and sinker. Whilst the transformational leader seeks overtly to
transform the organization, there is also a tacit promise to followers that they also will be
transformed in some way, perhaps to be more like this amazing leader. In some respects,
then, the followers are the product of the transformation. Transformational leaders are
often charismatic, but are not as narcissistic as pure Charismatic leaders, who succeed
through a belief in themselves rather that a belief in others”.

An interview transcript about Martin Luther influence.

here is the interview between us and the follower who is an advocate for social working
for a government company.
Interviewer, good afternoon. Follower almost overnight became an international figure as
a result of the bus boycott here in Montgomery and because you used in the movement
passive, or nonviolent, resistance. Why did he use this method, sir?

Follower: Well, in order to answer that question, I would have to deal with two aspects of
the problem. First, there was the boycott, and then the emergence of the nonviolent
emphasis. Now, let’s deal first with the boycott. I would say that we decided to boycott
the buses because the people felt that they could no longer accept the injustices and
indignities inflicted upon them on the city buses. They felt that it would be more
honorable to walk in dignity than ride in humiliation.

Interviewer: What sort of injustices or indignities?

Follower: Well, such things as having to stand over empty seats, and the time, many of
the bus drivers themselves were discourteous. There was a problem of Martin Luther
(1915), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. received his B.S. (1936) from Rutgers
University. He worked as a World War I1 correspondent for NBC and conducted
interviews with six successive presidents from Eisenhower to Carter. He later served as
moderator of the public affairs television show and Company.

Interviewer- Christianity, Christianity and Gandhism. Now how do you mean, how did
Dr. King apply?

Follower- Well, I mean this: that, if we think of a boycott merely as an economic

squeeze, we were not boycotting. And I, I like to think of our movement, here in
Montgomery, as more than a boycott, because a boycott is suggestive merely of an
economic squeeze. And that can be a very unchristian thing. It can be immoral.

Interviewer: When did Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver his famous speech “I have a
dream …”?

Follower:- On 28 August 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. organised a now historic march to
Washington to show the importance of solving the nation’s racial problems. About
250,000 people gathered and listened to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech when he uttered
the immortal words: “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their
character”.

Interviewer: Why was Martin Luther King, Jr. awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize?
Follower:- As Gunnar Jahn, Chairman of the Nobel Committee, said in his presentation speech:
“He is the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged
without violence. He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of
his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to all nations and races.

Today we pay tribute to Martin Luther King, the man who has never abandoned his faith in the
unarmed struggle he is waging, who has suffered for his faith, who has been imprisoned on many
occasions, whose home has been subject to bomb attacks, whose life and the lives of his family
have been threatened, and who nevertheless has never faltered.

To this undaunted champion of peace the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament has
awarded the Peace Prize for the year 1964.”

Lesson from the follower’s interview

Mr. Follower opinions on martin Luther’s leadership can be seen as influential leader.
Interviewer told that martin Luther was a leader who always protest non-violently to express his
thoughts for the rights of Afro-American to the government and do various things for the human
welfare of those peoples. Mr. Follower also told about their various movements that not only
develop feelings in people for their rights but also pretend them to boycott different government
services and to react non- violently this methodology emerge him as fighter who fights for the
dignity of the peoples and provide them the real feeling of freedom. Mr. follower also told about
king’s era the values of anti-racism and there internal feelings about the equality of black peoples
in American atmosphere. He argues that there is freedom of expression in their workplace where
all workers have an equal chances to speak and express their thoughts and view openly to anyone

He also express his thoughts about the non- discrimination environment in the workplace of
martin Luther king where no people can be discriminated based on his caste, religion, race and
color which act as the weapon against the government to make protest and successful their
protest marches. He also explain that lot of time the king Luther got tired from going to jail every
time, protest against government that broke their spirt to gave up but the holy spirt of him never
let him settle down and provide a fuel for the movements of equal rights. Therefore Mr. Follower
gives the credit to martin Luther king for their achievements towards the fighting for equality
among races and respect for human rights in the united states.
References:

https://prezi.com/fosl5_k5efyn/martin-luther-king-jr-interview-questions/

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/topic/martin-luther-king-jr

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/biographical/

https://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086

https://thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king/