Martin Luther King, Jr: Civil Rights Leader (Black Americans of Achievement)

149 Pages·2004·3.38 MB·English

by  Robert E. Jakoubek

Black Americans of Achievement
L E G A C Y E D I T I O N
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Civil Rights Leader
Black Americans of Achievement
L E G A C Y E D I T I O N
Muhammad Ali
Frederick Douglass
W.E.B. Du Bois
Marcus Garvey
Alex Haley
Langston Hughes
Jesse Jackson
Coretta Scott King
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Malcolm X
Thurgood Marshall
Jesse Owens
Rosa Parks
Colin Powell
Sojourner Truth
Harriet Tubman
Nat Turner
Booker T. Washington
Black Americans of Achievement
L E G A C Y E D I T I O N
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Civil Rights Leader
Robert Jakoubek
With additional text written by
Heather Lehr Wagner
Consulting Editor, Revised Edition
Heather Lehr Wagner
Senior Consulting Editor, First Edition
Nathan Irvin Huggins
Director, W.E.B. Du Bois Institute
for Afro-American Research
Harvard University
COVER: Clergyman and civil rights leader Martin Luther King,Jr.in 1960.
Martin Luther King,Jr.
Copyright © 2005 by Infobase Publishing
All rights reserved.No part ofthis book may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopying,recording,or by
any information storage or retrieval systems,without permission in writing from the
publisher.For information,contact:
Chelsea House
An imprint ofInfobase Publishing
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Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jakoubek,Robert E.
Martin Luther King,Jr.:civil rights leader / Robert Jakoubek ;with additional text by
Heather Lehr Wagner.
p.cm.—(Black Americans ofachievement)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7910-8161-3 (hc)
1.King,Martin Luther,Jr.,1929–1968.2.African Americans—Biography.
3.Baptists—United States—Clergy—Biography.4.African Americans—Civil rights.
5.United States—Race relations.I.Wagner,Heather Lehr.II.Title.III.Series.
E185.97.K5J354 2004
323'.092—dc22
2004008453
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Contents
Introduction vi
1 April 3, 1968
1
2 “You Are Somebody”
10
3 “I’m Going to Be Pastor of a Church”
20
4 Montgomery
32
5 “The Number One Leader”
46
6 “I Feel the Need of Being Free Now!”
60
7 “I Have a Dream Today!”
72
8 “We Are Demanding the Ballot”
86
9 “We Don’t Want You Here”
104
10 April 4, 1968
118
Appendix 126
Chronology 127
Further Reading 129
Index 131
About the Contributors 140
Introduction
Nearly 20 years ago Chelsea House Publishers began to publish
the first volumes in the series called BLACK AMERICANS OF
ACHIEVEMENT.This series eventually numbered over a hundred
books and profiled outstanding African Americans from
many walks oflife.Today,ifyou ask school teachers and school
librarians what comes to mind when you mention Chelsea
House,many will say—“Black Americans of Achievement.”
The mix of individuals whose lives we covered was eclectic,
to say the least. Some were well known—Muhammad Ali
and Dr.Martin Luther King,Jr,for example.But others,such
as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, were lesser-known
figures who were introduced to modern readers through these
books. The individuals profiled were chosen for their actions,
their deeds,and ultimately their influence on the lives ofothers
and their impact on our nation as a whole. By sharing these
stories of unique Americans, we hoped to illustrate how
ordinary individuals can be transformed by extraordinary
circumstances to become people of greatness. We also hoped
that these special stories would encourage young-adult readers
to make their own contribution to a better world.Judging from
the many wonderful letters we have received about the BLACK
AMERICANS OF ACHIEVEMENT biographies over the years from
students,librarians,and teachers,they have certainly fulfilled
the goal of inspiring others!
Now, some 20 years later, we are publishing 18 volumes of
the original BLACKAMERICANSOFACHIEVEMENTseries in revised
editions to bring the books into the twenty-first century and
vi
INTRODUCTION vii
make them available to a new generation ofyoung-adult readers.The
selection was based on the importance of these figures to American
life and the popularity of the original books with our readers.These
revised editions have a new full-color design and,wherever possible,
we have added color photographs. The books have new features,
including quotes from the writings and speeches of leaders and
interesting and unusual facts about their lives. The concluding
section of each book gives new emphasis to the legacy of these men
and women for the current generation of readers.
The lives of these African-American leaders are unique and
remarkable.By transcending the barriers that racism placed in their
paths, they are examples of the power and resiliency of the human
spirit and are an inspiration to readers.
We present these wonderful books to our audience for their
reading pleasure.
Lee M.Marcott
Chelsea House Publishers
August 2004

1
April 3, 1968
It was before dawn whenthe ReverendRalph Abernathy brought
his old Ford to a stop in front of the modest, pleasant home
of Coretta and Martin Luther King, Jr., in Atlanta, Georgia.
Abernathy half expected to see King waiting patiently on the
stoop, a black briefcase at his side. This morning King was
running late. When Coretta answered the door, her husband
was just getting up.
King mumbled an apology for oversleeping and hurried
into the bathroom to shave. Abernathy, after declining
Coretta’s offer of breakfast,kept a close watch on the time.
He and King had to catch an early flight for Memphis,
Tennessee.
King was ready quickly.As always,he wore a somber business
suit, its well-tailored lines flattering his broad shoulders and
subtly concealing his expanding waistline. He gave Coretta a
quick good-bye kiss and said he would call her from Memphis.
1