Martin Luther King, Jr. by Dharathula H. Millender

Author:Dharathula H. Millender
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

LISTENING AND THINKING

WHEN MARTIN REACHED his teenage years a few people still called him M. L., but most people called him Martin or Mike. By now he had formed many principles and conclusions which were to guide him throughout life. He was talented and eager to secure better ways of living for people of his race.

For years he had lived in a community where everyone talked about race and racial problems. As a small child, he had seen his father refuse to take insults from white people. In church he had heard his father preach repeatedly against oppression of Negro rights. At school he had been taught to hold his head high and refuse to accept discrimination.

At home and in school he had read stories about Negro leaders of the past and had tried to keep up with current Negro leaders. He had gained respect for people of his race by reading the Negro newspaper, the Atlanta Daily World. The owners of the newspaper were friends of his family and he was always welcome there.

He had been impressed with the number of people coming to his father’s church. He had observed their responses when his father urged them to improve themselves and he had noted the happiness on their faces when he praised them for their diligent efforts. As he had moved about the church, he had heard one member after another praise his father. One member had said, “Rev. King is a great preacher. We’re fortunate to have him.”

“Yes,” said another. “He doesn’t drive us, but requests us to do the right things. He keeps us working together for our rights.”

Martin had taken note of all these things and had remembered with pride that his father’s church usually had led Baptist churches in giving to missions and educational causes. His father always had helped persons who couldn’t help themselves and had promoted the cause of education.

Martin was proud of his father, and he was proud of his mother, too. By now his mother was playing a brand-new pipe organ which the church had installed. The Atlanta Daily World had said that this new organ was one of the best in the city. People were excited about the new organ and they flocked to the church to listen.

Once Martin’s father preached a sermon on “The Kind of House We Build.” The sermon made him think more about what he wanted to become in life. He knew that he wanted to be somebody important like his father. He wanted to become a good speaker so that people would listen to him. He wanted to be able to help people live better lives.

This year his father was chairman of the Atlanta Citizens’ Committee, which was trying to get equal salaries for Negro teachers. He was also chairman of the men’s division of the Fulton County Civilian Defense Council, which was training persons to protect themselves in case of air raids during World War II. Also he was working to help Negroes secure jobs to help out during the war years.

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