# wadsworth jarrell biography of martin luther king

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 December, black and white people began using buses together for the first time. In late 1967, King published the book "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" and openly spoke out against the Vietnam War.

He addressed a large anti-war rally in Washington, D.C., and became co-chair of the organization "Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam." In his final years, King's attention shifted not only to racism but also to the issues of unemployment, hunger, and poverty in America. Kennedy expressed his concern over the harsh treatment Martin received for the traffic ticket, and political pressure was quickly set in motion.

But I’m not concerned about that now… I’m not worried about anything. He was met with increasing criticism and public challenges from young Black power leaders. In 1954, while still working on his dissertation, King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama. In particular, the 1960s saw the rise of the Black power movement, epitomised by Malcolm X and other black nationalist groups.

“I was at the point where I was deeply interested in political matters and social ills,” he recalled in The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. It was in this Gandhian emphasis on love and nonviolence that I discovered the method for social reform that I had been seeking.”

It led to the formation of King’s six principles of nonviolence:

1. Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
2. Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
3. Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people.
4. Nonviolence holds that suffering for a just cause can educate and transform.
5. Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.

   In Montgomery, King organized social action committees, raised funds for the NAACP, and served on the local executive committee of the association. Assassinated by James Earl Ray, King died on April 4, 1968, at age 39.

   Even though King was following his father’s footsteps, he rebelled against Martin Sr.’s more conservative influence by drinking beer and playing pool while at college.

   But he came to realize: “Love for Gandhi was a potent instrument for social and collective transformation. King’s patient, nonviolent approach and appeal to white middle-class citizens alienated many Black militants who considered his methods too weak, too late, and ineffective.

   Spotlight: Martin Luther King Jr.

   and Malcolm X

   To address this criticism, King began making a link between discrimination and poverty, and he began to speak out against the Vietnam War. He felt America’s involvement in Vietnam was politically untenable and the government’s conduct in the war was discriminatory to the poor.

   

   This proved to be a nucleus for the growing civil rights movement. On August 28, approximately 250,000 people, both white and black, gathered in Washington, D.C., during the debate on civil rights legislation in Congress. But the movement wasn’t done yet.

   On October 19, 1960, King and 75 students entered a local department store and requested lunch-counter service but were denied.

   She sat in the first row of the “colored” section in the middle of the bus.

   Greensboro Sit-In

   By 1960, King was gaining national exposure. Indeed, January 20 is also when Donald Trump will be sworn in as 47^th president.

   Bill Clinton and Barack Obama previously took presidential oaths of office on Martin Luther King Jr.

   Day. However, in both cases, the men were starting their second consecutive terms, much quieter occasions than the transfer of power from one president to the next.