Barbara P. Moss
Dr. Martin Luther King
The Late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a tender and gentle man who fought endlessly for the simple recognition of human dignity. Aside from being an apostle of nonviolence, he was a drum major who believed in freedom and justice for all.
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Dr. King was an articulate and eloquent storyteller. One story that he told extremely well was that of Mrs. Rosa Parks’ refusal to move to the Jim Crow section of the bus. The event took place December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. Mrs. Rosa Parks, an attractive Negro seamstress boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus to return home after her work day at Montgomery Fair— of Montgomery, Alabama’s leading department stores. Mrs. Parks worked long hours on her feet and upon boarding the bus, she plopped her tired body in the first seat behind the section reserved for whites. The driver of the bus ordered her and three other blacks to move to the back of the bus in order to make room for white passengers. Mrs. Parks did not move, but the other three blacks quickly moved. Mrs. Parks was arrested and after word of her arrest reached the masses of blacks, it was agreed that blacks should boycott the buses. The black people in Montgomery, Alabama worked together. The buses were boycotted. Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Ralph David Abernathy, and other concerned citizens led a nonviolent, peaceful, and successful boycott. Dr. King stated that the method to boycott was used to give birth to justice and freedom and to urge men to comply with the law of the land.