Mridula koirala biography of martin luther king

King was cited for "driving without a license" because he had not yet been issued a Georgia license. King's Alabama license was still valid, and Georgia law did not mandate any time limit for issuing a local license. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Student Movement had been acting to desegregate businesses and public spaces, organizing the Atlanta sit-ins from March onwards.

In August the movement asked King to participate in a mass October sit-in, timed to highlight how 's Presidential election campaigns had ignored civil rights. The coordinated day of action took place on October King participated in a sit-in at the restaurant inside Rich'sAtlanta's largest department store, and was among the many arrested that day.

The authorities released everyone over the next few days, except for King. Invoking his probationary plea deal, judge J. Oscar Mitchell sentenced King on October 25 to four months of hard labor. Before dawn the next day, King was transported to Georgia State Prison. The arrest and harsh sentence drew nationwide attention. Many feared for King's safety, as he started a prison sentence with people convicted of violent crimes, many of them White and hostile to his activism.

Nixon, with whom King had a closer relationship before, declined to make a statement despite a personal visit from Jackie Robinson requesting his intervention. Nixon's opponent John F. Kennedy called the governor a Democrat directly, enlisted his brother Robert to exert more pressure on state authorities, and, at the personal request of Sargent Shrivercalled King's wife to offer his help.

The pressure from Kennedy and others proved effective, and King was released two days later. King's father decided to openly endorse Kennedy's candidacy for the November 8 election which he narrowly won. After the October 19 sit-ins and following unrest, a day truce was declared in Atlanta for desegregation negotiations. However, the negotiations failed and sit-ins and boycotts resumed for several months.

On March 7,a group of Black elders including King notified student leaders that a deal had been reached: the city's lunch counters would desegregate in fallin conjunction with the court-mandated desegregation of schools. In a large meeting on March 10 at Warren Memorial Methodist Church, the audience was hostile and frustrated. King then gave an impassioned speech calling participants to resist the "cancerous disease of disunity", helping to calm tensions.

The movement mobilized thousands of citizens for a nonviolent attack on every aspect of segregation in the city and attracted nationwide attention. When King first visited on December 15,he "had planned to stay a day or so and return home after giving counsel. According to King, "that agreement was dishonored and violated by the city" after he left.

Three days into his sentence, Police Chief Laurie Pritchett discreetly arranged for King's fine to be paid and ordered his release. But for the first time, we witnessed being kicked out of jail. After nearly a year of intense activism with few tangible results, the movement began to deteriorate. King requested a halt to all demonstrations and a "Day of Penance" to promote nonviolence and maintain the moral high ground.

Divisions within the black community and the canny, low-key response by local government defeated efforts. After Albany, King sought to choose engagements for the SCLC in which he could control the circumstances, rather than entering into pre-existing situations. The campaign used nonviolent but intentionally confrontational tactics, developed in part by Wyatt Tee Walker.

Black people in Birmingham, organizing with the SCLC, occupied public spaces with marches and sit-insopenly violating laws that they considered unjust. King's intent was to provoke mass arrests and "create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. Over the concerns of an uncertain King, SCLC strategist James Bevel changed the course of the campaign by recruiting children and young adults to join the demonstrations.

The Birmingham Police Department, led by Eugene "Bull" Connorused high-pressure water jets and police dogs against protesters, including children. Footage of the police response was broadcast on national television news, shocking many white Americans and consolidating black Americans behind the movement. In some cases, bystanders attacked the police, who responded with force.

King and the SCLC were criticized for putting children in harm's way. But the campaign was a success: Connor lost his job, the "Jim Crow" signs came down, and public places became more open to blacks. King's reputation improved immensely. King was arrested and jailed early in the campaign—his 13th arrest [ ] out of The letter has been described as "one of the most important historical documents penned by a modern political prisoner ".

King, representing the SCLCwas among the leaders of the " Big Six " civil rights organizations who were instrumental in the organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedomwhich took place on August 28, Farmer Jr. Bayard Rustin 's open homosexuality, support of socialismand former ties to the Communist Party USA caused many white and African-American leaders to demand King distance himself from Rustin, [ ] which King agreed to do.

However, the organizers were firm that the march would proceed. President Kennedy was concerned the turnout would be less thanand enlisted the aid of additional church leaders and Walter Reutherpresident of the United Automobile Workersto help mobilize demonstrators. The march originally was planned to dramatize the desperate condition of blacks in the southern U.

Organizers intended to denounce the federal government for its failure to safeguard the civil rights and physical safety of civil rights workers and blacks. The group acquiesced to presidential pressure, and the event ultimately took on a far less strident tone. At the time, it was the largest gathering of protesters in Washington, D.

King delivered a minute speech, later known as " I Have a Dream ". In the speech's most famous passage — in which he departed from his prepared text, possibly at the prompting of Mahalia Jacksonwho shouted behind him, "Tell them about the dream! I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.

It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippia state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

Augustine, Florida. Hayling's group had been affiliated with the NAACP but was forced out of the organization for advocating armed self-defense alongside nonviolent tactics. However, the pacifist SCLC accepted them. Augustineincluding a delegation of rabbis and the year-old mother of the governor of Massachusetts, all of whom were arrested.

During this movement, the Civil Rights Act of was passed. This was a symposium that brought together many civil rights leaders. In his remarks, King referred to a conversation he had recently had with Jawaharlal Nehru in which he compared the sad mridula koirala biography of martin luther king of mridula koirala biographies of martin luther king African Americans to that of India's untouchables.

He also discusses the next phase of the civil rights movement and integration. Starting in NovemberKing supported a labor strike by several hundred workers at the Scripto factory in Atlanta, just a few blocks from Ebenezer Baptist. This injunction temporarily halted civil rights activity until King defied it by speaking at Brown Chapel on January 2, The first attempt to march on March 7,at which King was not present, was aborted because of mob and police violence against the demonstrators.

This day has become known as Bloody Sunday and was a major turning point in the effort to gain public support for the civil rights movement. It was the clearest demonstration up to that time of the dramatic potential of King and Bevel's nonviolence strategy. On March 5, King met with officials in the Johnson Administration to request an injunction against any prosecution of the demonstrators.

He did not attend the march due to church duties, but he later wrote, "If I had any idea that the state troopers would use the kind of brutality they did, I would have felt compelled to give up my church duties altogether to lead the line. King next attempted to organize a march for March 9. The SCLC petitioned for an injunction in federal court against Alabama; this was denied and the judge issued an order blocking the march until after a hearing.

Nonetheless, King led marchers on March 9 to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, then held a short prayer session before turning the marchers around and asking them to disperse so as not to violate the court order. The unexpected ending of this second march aroused the surprise and anger of many within the local movement. King stated that equal rights for African Americans could not be far away, "because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice" and "you shall reap what you sow".

Inafter several successes in the south, King, Bevel, and others in the civil rights organizations took the movement to the North. King and Ralph Abernathy, both from the middle class, moved into a building at S. Hamlin Avenue, in the slums of North Lawndale [ ] on Chicago's West Side, as an educational experience and to demonstrate their support and empathy for the poor.

King later stated and Abernathy wrote that the movement received a worse reception in Chicago than in the South. Marches, especially the one through Marquette Park on August 5,were met by thrown bottles and screaming throngs. Rioting seemed very possible. Daley to cancel a march in order to avoid the violence that he feared would result. When King and his allies returned to the South, they left Jesse Jacksona seminary student who had previously joined the movement in the South, in charge of their organization.

A CIA document declassified in downplayed King's role in the "black militant situation" in Chicago, with a source stating that King "sought at least constructive, positive projects. The black revolution is much more than a struggle for the rights of Negroes. It is forcing America to face all its interrelated flaws—racism, poverty, militarism, and materialism.

It is exposing evils that are rooted deeply in the whole structure of our society. It reveals systemic rather than superficial flaws and suggests that radical reconstruction of society itself is the real issue to be faced. We must recognize that we can't solve our problem now until there is a radical redistribution of economic and political power We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism are all tied together… you can't really get rid of one without getting rid of the others… the whole structure of American life must be changed.

America is a hypocritical nation and [we] must put [our] own house in order. King was long opposed to American involvement in the Vietnam War[ ] but at first avoided the topic in public speeches to avoid the interference with civil rights goals that criticism of President Johnson's policies might have created. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth.

With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say: "This is not just. King opposed the Vietnam War because it took money and resources that could have been spent on social welfare at home.

He summed up this aspect by saying, "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. King's opposition cost him significant support among white allies including President Johnson, Billy Grahamunion leaders, and powerful publishers. The "Beyond Vietnam" speech reflected King's evolving political advocacy in his later years, which paralleled the teachings of the progressive Highlander Research and Education Centerwith which he was affiliated.

King stated in "Beyond Vietnam" that "true compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar King's stance on Vietnam encouraged Allard K. LowensteinWilliam Sloane Coffin and Norman Thomaswith the support of anti-war Democrats, to attempt to persuade King to run against President Johnson in the presidential election. King contemplated but ultimately decided against the proposal as he felt uneasy with politics and considered himself better suited to activism.

At the U. King brought up issues of civil rights and the draft:. I have not urged a mechanical fusion of the civil rights and peace movements. There are people who have come to see the moral imperative of equality, but who cannot yet see the moral imperative of world brotherhood. I would like to see the fervor of the civil-rights movement imbued into the peace movement to instill it with greater strength.

And I believe everyone has a duty to be in both the civil-rights and peace movements. But for those who presently choose but one, I would hope they will finally come to see the moral roots common to both. Seeing an opportunity to unite civil rights and anti-war activists, [ ] Bevel convinced King to become even more active in the anti-war effort.

The importance of the hippies is not in their unconventional behavior, but in the fact that hundreds of thousands of young people, in turning to a flight from reality, are expressing a profoundly discrediting view on the society they emerge from. On January 13,King called for a large march on Washington against "one of history's most cruel and senseless wars": [ ] [ ].

We need to make clear in this political year, to congressmen on both sides of the aisle and to the president of the United States, that we will no longer tolerate, we will no longer vote for men who continue to see the killings of Vietnamese and Americans as the best way of advancing the goals of freedom and self-determination in Southeast Asia.

In his nomination, King said, "I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of [this prize] than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenismto world brotherhood, to humanity". King traveled the country to assemble "a multiracial army of the poor" that would march on Washington to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience at the Capitol until Congress created an "economic bill of rights".

King quoted from Henry George 's book Progress and Povertyparticularly in support of a guaranteed basic income. He felt that Congress had shown "hostility to the poor" by spending "military funds with alacrity and generosity". He contrasted this with the situation faced by poor Americans, claiming that Congress had merely provided "poverty funds with miserliness".

The Poor People's Campaign was controversial mridula koirala biography of martin luther king within the civil rights movement. Rustin resigned from the march, stating that the goals of the campaign were too broad, that its demands were unrealizable, and that he thought that these campaigns would accelerate repression on the poor and the black.

King was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a world constitution. The workers had been on strike since March 12 for higher wages and better treatment. In one incident, black street repairmen received pay for two hours when they were sent home because of bad weather, but white employees were paid for the full day.

King's flight to Memphis had been delayed by a bomb threat against his plane. And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now.

Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And 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.

So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. King was booked in Room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Ralph Abernathywho was present at the assassination, testified to the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations that King and his entourage stayed at Room so often that it was known as the "King-Abernathy suite".

Play it real pretty. King was fatally shot by James Earl Ray at p. The bullet entered through his right cheek, smashing his jaw, then traveled down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder. After emergency surgery, King died at St. Joseph's Hospital at p. National Historical Park. The assassination led to race riots in Washington, D.

Kennedy was on his way to Indianapolis for a campaign rally when he was informed of King's death. He gave a short, improvised speech to the gathering of supporters informing them of the tragedy and urging them to continue King's ideal of nonviolence. The plan to set up a shantytown in Washington, D. Criticism of King's plan was subdued in the wake of his death, and the SCLC received an unprecedented wave of donations to carry it out.

The campaign officially began in Memphis, on May 2, at the hotel where King was murdered. President Johnson tried to quell the riots by making telephone calls to civil rights leaders, mayors and governors and told politicians that they should warn the police against the unwarranted use of force. I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr.

I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison.

And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major. Say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind.

But I just want to leave a committed life behind. He was using the alias Ramon George Sneyd. He confessed on March 10,though he recanted this confession three days later. He was sentenced to a year prison term. Ray's lawyers maintained he was a scapegoat similar to the way that John F. Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald is seen by conspiracy theorists.

Those suspecting a conspiracy point to the two successive ballistics tests which proved that a rifle similar to Ray's Remington Gamemaster had been the murder weapon. Those tests did not implicate Ray's specific rifle. Pepper[ ] won a wrongful death claim against Loyd Jowers and "other unknown co-conspirators". The jury found Jowers to be complicit in a conspiracy and that government agencies were party to the assassination.

Inthe U. Department of Justice completed the investigation into Jowers' claims but did not find evidence of conspiracy. The investigation report recommended no further investigation unless new reliable facts are presented. He stated, "It wasn't a racist thing; he thought Martin Luther King was connected with communism, and he wanted to get him out of the way.

The fact is there were saboteurs to disrupt the march. And within our own organization, we found a very key person who was on the government payroll. So infiltration within, saboteurs from without and the press attacks. I will never believe that James Earl Ray had the motive, the money and the mobility to have done it himself. Our government was very involved in setting the stage for and I think the escape route for James Earl Ray.

On January 23, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order declassifying the records concerning the assassination. King's legacy includes influences on the Black Consciousness Movement and civil rights movement in South Africa. John Humethe former leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Partycited King's legacy as quintessential to the Northern Ireland civil rights movement and the signing of the Good Friday Agreementcalling him "one of my great heroes of the century".

The Foundation's first chairman, Canon John Collinsstated that the Foundation was to be an active UK national campaign for racial equality, its work also to include community projects in areas of social need, and education. In its first year, the agency placed ten percent of its applicants in jobs equal to their ability. Inspired by King's vision, the committee undertakes a range of activities across the UK to "build cultures of peace".

InNewcastle University unveiled a bronze statue of King to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his honorary doctorate ceremony. King has become a national icon in the history of American liberalism and American progressivism. This legislation was seen as a tribute to King's struggle in his final years to combat residential discrimination.

Mridula koirala biography of martin luther king

King's wife Coretta Scott King was active in matters of social justice and civil rights until her death in The same year that King was assassinated, she established the King Center in Atlanta, Georgiadedicated to preserving his legacy and the work of championing nonviolent conflict resolution and tolerance worldwide. Daughter Yolanda King, who died inwas a motivational speaker, author and founder of Higher Ground Productions, an organization specializing in diversity training.

King's widow Coretta publicly said that she believed her husband would have supported gay rights. Beginning incities and states established annual holidays to honor King. Following President George H. Bush 's proclamation, the holiday is observed on the third Monday of January each year, near the time of King's birthday. Day was officially observed in all fifty U.

Utah previously celebrated the holiday under the name Human Rights Day. King is also honored with a Lesser Feast on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church [ ] on April 4 or January 15, the anniversary of his birth. As a Christian minister, King's main influence was Jesus Christ and the Christian gospels, which he would almost always quote in his speeches.

King's faith was strongly based in the Golden Ruleloving God above all, and loving your enemies. His nonviolent thought was also based in the injunction to turn the other cheek in the Sermon on the Mountand Jesus' teaching of putting the sword back into its place Matthew In another sermon, he stated:. Before I was a civil rights leader, I was a preacher of the Gospel.

This was my first calling and it still remains my greatest commitment. You know, actually all that I do in civil rights I do because I consider it a part of my ministry. I have no other ambitions in life but to achieve excellence in the Christian ministry. I don't plan to run for any political office. I don't plan to do anything but remain a preacher.

And what I'm doing in this struggle, along with many others, grows out of my feeling that the preacher must be concerned about the whole man. King's private writings show that he rejected biblical literalism ; he described the Bible as " mythological ", doubted that Jesus was born of a virgin and did not believe that the story of Jonah and the whale was true.

Among the thinkers who influenced King's theological outlook were L. The sermons argued for man's need for God's love and criticized the racial injustices of Western civilization. World peace through nonviolent means is neither absurd nor unattainable. All other methods have failed. Thus we must begin anew. Nonviolence is a good starting point.

Those of us who believe in this method can be mridula koirala biographies of martin luther king of reason, sanity, and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred, and emotion. We can very well set a mood of peace out of which a system of peace can be built. African-American civil rights activist Bayard Rustin was King's first regular advisor on nonviolence.

Rustin had applied nonviolence with the Journey of Reconciliation campaign in the s, [ ] and Wofford had been promoting Gandhism to Southern blacks since the early s. King initially knew little about Gandhi and rarely used the term "nonviolence" during his early activism. King initially believed in and practiced self-defense, even obtaining guns to defend against possible attackers.

The pacifists showing him the alternative of nonviolent resistancearguing that this would be a better means to accomplish his goals. King then vowed to no longer personally use arms. In a chapter of Stride Toward FreedomKing outlined his understanding of nonviolence, which seeks to win an opponent to friendship, rather than to humiliate or mridula koirala biography of martin luther king him.

The chapter draws from an address by Wofford, with Rustin and Stanley Levison also providing guidance and ghostwriting. King was inspired by Gandhi and his success with nonviolent activism, and as a theology student, King described Gandhi as being one of the "individuals who greatly reveal the working of the Spirit of God". In a radio address made during his final evening in India, King reflected, "Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.

When receiving the Nobel Peace Prize inKing hailed the "successful precedent" of using nonviolence "in a magnificent way by Mohandas K. His message of nonviolence and peaceful protest has inspired countless activists and leaders to stand up against oppression and discrimination. Furthermore, King's belief in the power of education and knowledge to bring about change has influenced policies and initiatives that aim to provide equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their background.

This has led to advancements in education, employment, and political representation for marginalized groups. King's impact can also be seen in the arts, as his words and actions have inspired countless works of literature, music, and film that continue to touch the hearts and minds of people around the world. His message of love, unity, and acceptance has transcended generations and continues to resonate with people of all ages.

He was the middle child of three siblings, with an older sister and a younger brother. Growing up in a loving and religious household, King's family instilled in him the values of equality, justice, and compassion. King was heavily influenced by his father, who was a prominent Baptist minister and civil rights activist. He attended segregated public schools in Georgia and excelled academically, skipping grades 9 and 12 before enrolling in Morehouse College at the age of He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology in During his time at Morehouse College, King was exposed to the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and became deeply committed to nonviolent resistance as a means of achieving social change.

King's education not only provided him with the necessary knowledge and skills to become a successful leader, but it also shaped his moral and ethical beliefs that would guide his actions in the fight for civil rights. This commitment was further condensed into his six principles of nonviolence, which emphasized love as a powerful tool for social change and encouraged individuals to confront injustice without resorting to aggression.

King believed that nonviolence was not merely a tactic but a way of life that could bring about societal transformation. He often referenced the "Beloved Community," envisioning a world where compassion and justice would prevail over hatred and violence. By advocating for peaceful protests and civil disobedience, King aimed to create a scenario where oppressors could no longer ignore the plight of the marginalized.

His philosophy resonated widely, encouraging not just African Americans but all Americans to reflect on their roles in the fight against injustice, thereby altering the course of the struggle for civil rights. Coretta was an aspiring singer and musician studying at the New England Conservatory. Their union was built on mutual respect and shared values, with Coretta often taking on the challenging role of a supportive partner while raising their children.

Despite King's demanding schedule as a civil rights leader, Coretta managed to maintain their home as a sanctuary for family and activist gatherings, demonstrating resilience and fortitude that complemented King's vision for equality and justice. As a father, King strived to instill a strong sense of social responsibility in his children. He balanced his public commitments with intimate family moments, ensuring that discussions about civil rights and social justice took place at the dinner table.

As a champion of social justice, King's focus was on uplifting the marginalized rather than accumulating wealth. He earned a modest salary as a pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, which reflected his dedication to his ministry over profits. His commitment to the cause of civil rights and equality echoed in his financial choices, as he insisted that his family live on his pastor's salary despite the fame and recognition he garnered over the years.

Williams, was a rural minister for years and then moved to Atlanta in 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 who survived, Alberta. Martin Sr. He married Alberta in after an eight-year courtship. The newlyweds moved to A.

Martin stepped in as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church upon the death of his father-in-law in He, too, became a successful minister. A middle child, Martin Jr. The King children grew up in a secure and loving environment. Although they undoubtedly tried, Martin Jr. He strongly discouraged any sense of class superiority in his children, which left a lasting impression on Martin Jr.

His baptism in May was less memorable for young King, but an event a few years later left him reeling. In Maywhen King was 12 years old, his grandmother Jennie died of a heart attack. Distraught at the news, he jumped from a second-story window at the family home, allegedly attempting suicide. Growing up in Atlanta, King entered public school at age 5.

He later attended Booker T. Washington High School, where he was said to be a precocious student. He skipped both the ninth and eleventh grades and, at age 15, entered Morehouse College in Atlanta in He was a popular student, especially with his female classmates, but largely unmotivated, floating through his first two years. Influenced by his experiences with racism, King began planting the seeds for a future as a social activist early in his time at Morehouse.

At the time, King felt that the best way to serve that purpose was as a lawyer or a doctor. Although his family was deeply involved in the church and worship, King questioned religion in general and felt uncomfortable with overly emotional displays of religious worship. But in his junior year at Morehouse, King took a Bible class, renewed his faith, and began to envision a career in the ministry.

In the fall of his senior year, he told his father of his decision, and he was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in February Later that year, King earned a sociology degree from Morehouse College and began attended the liberal Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. He thrived in all his studies, was elected student body president, and was valedictorian of his class in He also earned a fellowship for graduate study.

He became romantically involved with a white woman and went through a difficult time before he could break off the relationship. 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, King enrolled at Boston University.

He completed his doctorate and earned his degree in at age A committee of scholars appointed by Boston University determined that King was guilty of plagiarism inthough it also recommended against the revocation of his degree. As explained in his autobiographyKing previously felt that the peaceful teachings of Jesus applied mainly to individual relationships, not large-scale confrontations.

It was in this Gandhian emphasis on love and nonviolence that I discovered the method for social reform that I had been seeking. Led by his religious convictions and philosophy of nonviolence, King became one of the most prominent figures of the Civil Rights Movement. He was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and played key roles in several major demonstrations that transformed society.

The effort began on December 1,when year-old Rosa Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus to go home after work. As more passengers boarded, several white men were left standing, so the bus driver demanded that Parks and several other African Americans give up their seats. Three other Black 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. On the night Parks was arrested, E. King was elected to lead the boycott because he was young, well-trained, and had solid family connections and professional standing. He was also new to the community and had few enemies, so organizers felt he would have strong credibility with the Black community.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott began December 5,and for more than a year, the local Black community walked to work, coordinated ride sharing, and faced harassment, violence, and intimidation.