Martin Luther King Jr.

I have a dream
That one day
This nation will rice up
And live up the true meaning
And it's free
We hold this trues
To be self evidence
That all men are created to be
Martin Luther King Jr. 1963



Written by: Elna Andersson 8:6 1999-05-30



Index

Martin Luther King Jr.

Coretta and Martin

Need for a change

Rosa Parks

The boycott

It spreads

The March to Washington in 1963

His death

Hard words

Source



Martin Luther King Jr.

He was a very brave human being. He was born on the
15th of January 1929, to the parents of Alberta
Williams King and Martin Luther King, in Atlanta,
Georgia. Atlanta is a town far down in the south of
America. Martin was called ML by his parents,
grandparents and brother and sister and by all his
friends. They called him ML during his whole
childhood. ML flew through the school with high grades
and by the time he was 15 he was enrolled* in the
Morehouse College, that's located in his hometown.
1948 he graduated and he choose to go the same way as
his father had done. He wanted to be a minister. ML`s
father was a reverend* in the Ebenezer Baptist Church
in Atlanta, and ML had a strong position in the black
society*. The church plays a big role in the black
peoples life in the south of America. The strong
believing is a source to inspiration* and consolation*
for the people after six tuff and hard working days.
The young ML was always happy to learn things. When he
was little and the whole family was in the church, and
listened to a guestpreacher, ML said: "One day I hope
I can say such good words, and make those words come
true". Martin had to deal with the racism when he was
a little boy and even when he was a grownup.

Coretta and Martin

Coretta came from the south just like Martin did, but
she came from Alabama. She had got a scholarship* so
she could study music at a conservatory* in New
England. Then she worked halftime to make her living.
The last thing she thought of was marriage and kids,
she wonted a carrier and after that, then she could
get married and have kids. 
   First she thought that Martin was too short, but
the more they were together, the more she liked him.
Martin could not think that a beautiful and charmy
lady like Ms. Scott could start to like him. The 18th
of June 1953 Martin and Coretta were married by
Martin's father in Coretta´s home in Marion. 
   
   They lived in Boston fore a while and Martin and
Coretta finished their studies and after that, Martin
looked fore a job. He liked the school-environment and
he wanted to teach theology, at some colleges or at a
university, but first he wanted to work a while as a
reverend.
   The best offer Martin got was from the Dexter
Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. The
congregation* needed a now reverend. In September 1954
Coretta and Martin moved to Montgomery to the
reverandshouse. Martin started to work at half past
five in the mornings and worked three hours with his
doctorsgraduate. Then he took his car in to the town
and worked in the church with family counsulaing*,
officiated marriages and funerals and give evidence to
business matter or in front of a jury. Martin was very
popular in his congregation. He was a good preacher
and his sermons* were just great. He showed that he
was a good speaker and a fine man. Sometimes he spoke
loudly and sometimes you needed to really concentrate*
to hear him. Everybody knew him and everybody liked
him. 
   A happy time in Martin's life was in 1955 when he
was ready with his studies and went to Boston so he
could get his awards*. He got a doctorsgraduate in
theology and now everybody called him "Dr." or
"Reverend" King. Under this time Coretta got pregnant*
and that's their first child Yolanda. They lived in
Montgomery and lived happy, but ML knew what there
were deep under the surface*. The peaceful* little
town wasn't so peaceful as it seemed to bee. 

Need for a change

The black's position in Montgomery was typical for
that kind of towns in the south. The segregation*
implied* that black and white kids, wasn't allowed' to
go in the same school. The black kids school was often
inferior* than the white kids schools.  
   1954 the Supreme Court* decided* that this couldn't
go on.  The law said that everybody had the same
rights. The Supreme Court decided that the segregation
in the school must cease. Now black and whit kids goes
in the same school. The Supreme Court made an
addition* "With all deliberate* speed", to speed up
the process. The people in Montgomery were terrified*
because they never comply* with the law.
   The school was not the only problem. The black
people were justified* to vote, but the local
occurring* made it very hard for them. A black man
could get fired just because he had voted. In
Montgomery 40000 black lived, only 2000 were
registered. Martin Luther saw that his parishioners*
where very frightened and resigned.  He thought that
if they didn't do anything now, it would always be
like this. 

Rosa Parks

The first of December 1955 a black lady left a market
in the central where she worked as a seamstress*, and
she went to the bus. Her name was Rosa Parks. The rule
was that the black should sit in the back of the bus
and the white in the front. If the bus was full and a
white person came on the bus a black person should
stand up and let the white person sit. Rosa Parks
found a spot in the middle of the bus and she sat
down. Then a white man came on the bus and the bus
driver told Rosa to stand up so the white man could
sit, but she refused*. The bus driver told her that he
would get her arrested*. But she didn't care. She had
had a tuff working day and she was tired. She said:
"Go on and arrest me". The bus driver looked surprised
at her. Then he ran out of the bus and when he came
back he had a police officer with him. The police
officer asked Rosa why she didn't leave the spot to
the white man. She said: "I didn't thought that I
needed that. Why can't he stand up instead". The
police officer said: "I don't know but the law is the
law" and he arrested her. Rosa Parks didn't look like
one of them that brooked the law. She was just like
the other ladies that went with the bus every day. She
was just tired of getting treated* like that. 

The boycott

ML and all of his friends started propaganda. They
should boycott the bus traffic lines. 75% of the bus
travelers were black and the Bus Company would loose
much money if the black boycotted the bus traffic.   
   The leaders of the black people planned the
boycott. The leaders exhorted every black man and
women to boycott the bus traffic lines. The leaders
exhorted* the taxis to drive black people for 10 cents
where ever they wished to go, and they agreed.
   The 5th of December 1955 the boycott started.
Martin went up early and drank his morning coffee when
the bus came. It was empty. The boycott was a fact.
King went into the town. Black people went to their
jobs; they even rode on horses and mules. 17500 blacks
used to go with the busses. Every bus that drove pass
Martin was empty. Only a few white people sat in the
front. The police patrolled the streets, but
everything went peacefully. Montgomery Improvement
Association was created the same afternoon. They were
supposed to look after the boycott. Martin was
elected* to be president of the group. Now he was only
26 years old. His first assignment* was to talk with
the black people that gathered* in the church in the
evening. 
   The church was full of people. Speakers were
distinguished* in the trees on the streets so
everybody could here Martin talk. He held the speech
and he drow down applause and after that everybody
started to sing " Ohward, Christian Soldier". Rosa
Parks told her story about getting arrested, just
because she didn't want to stand up. TV, papers and
the radio were following this speech, and soon all the
country heard about Martin Luther.
Martin had three demands:
1. The busdrivers should treat everybody the same
2. The passengers should sit were every the liked but
still the black in the back and the white in the
front.
3. The bus company should also employee black drivers,
that drow in the black society. 
Martin said to his listeners: " If you agree with me,
stand up!
Everybody in the room and on the streets stood up. Now
Martin was a famous person.
    Martin always got threatened* and one day the
threatened was real. Martin heard that his house was
bombed. He ran home so he could see if his little
family was alive. They were. Outside Martin's
adherents had gathered. When the police tried to
scatter* them, they took out their knifes, guns and
broken glasses. They said, if someone attacks their
leader, then they attacked them. Martin told them to
go home and put away their guns. He said: "We must
meet hate with love, if I'm stopped, our thing goes
on, because God is with us"
   The boycott moved on and everybody went by foot.
All the winter they walked in -30°C and when the
summer came in 1956 they still walked. The city
leaders found an old law about boycotts. Martin and 88
other persons got arrested. Martin was the first in
the court. The Jury was al white. Martin got judge,
but his lawyers appealed against* the judge.
   Improvement Associations kept go on. They wanted to
prove that the bus segregation strode against USA's
constitution. The black people kept go on walking,
even under the summers pushing heat. The city made a
new exertion* to put a stop for this "carpool" as an
"inconvenience* for the society". Montgomery
Improvement Associations got a success. USA's Supreme
Court sended a message to Martin Luther King Jr. And
now the boycott got an ending. The bus segregation was
a crime against the constitution. 
   Martin and Rosa Parker were the two first
passengers on the bus next day. When King got on the
bus, the driver said:
- Are you reverend King?
- Well, yes I am, Martin answered.
- We are happy that you are riding with us today, the
busdriver told him.
Montgomery's first integrated bus left the halt. 

It spreads

The success in Montgomery got spread. It gave courage*
to thousands other black over the south. Boycotts
started everywhere.
   In June 1957 Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC) were started. They gave advice and
help. Martin was elected as a President. In 1957 and
-58 he traveled in USA and held speeches and 208
conductorships*. Under the same time he mannish to
work as a reverend. He had promised a booker in New
York to wright a book about the boycott in Montgomery.
   He missed his wife and two children, and he was
sorry to miss his children's childhood. But in spite
of that, they mannished to keep the love.
   He traveled to NY, because he had to sign books. At
this time he had have many threatens, but he didn't
care.

The March to Washington in 1963
The 28th of August in 1963 Martin and his adherent's
marcht forwards Washington. It was a celebration*
against 
the slaveries abolishing*. The slavery abolishes 1863
in the USA.
   When Martin came to Washington Center, 250.000
humans had gathered. Martin went out of his car, and
everybody started to sing "We shall overcome".
   Martin was only 34 years old, but everybody knew
who he was. King held a speech, and this was the time,
then he said, " I have a dream"

I have a dream
That one day
This nation will rice up
And live up the true meaning
Of it's free
We hold this trues
To be self evidence
That all men are created to be

His death
In April 1968, King and his family went to Memphis, so
he could support the black workers that were fighting
for their salary*. The plane that he ride with was
ransacked*, because the aircraft was under a bomb
threatened. He was late to Memphis, where he should
hold a speech. He told the people why he was late, and
then he held his speech.
   He stayed at his hotel room al next day. On the
evening, he and his friend went out on the balcony to
get some air. Martin got shout and fell deeply
woundered* to the floor. The Ambulance took him to the
hospital in a few minutes, but he died with in an
hour.
   Martin Luther King Jr.´s death came as a terribly
chock for everyone. He was the one that fought for
peace and love, and now he was gone.
   Martin died only 39 years old. He had four kids and
one dearly beloved wife.
   The funeral was held in the Baptist church in
Atlanta were his father worked. Over 100.000 humans
came to his funeral. The funeral was held in TV and
120 millions saw it.
   " Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty,
I'm free at last".
  Martin wonted this to stand on his grave, and it
does.

Source:
Internet: Page:
http://members.Aol.Com/magoo0885/page3.html

Wysiwyg://14/http://members.aol.com/magoo0885/index.html
The book:
Martin Luther King on Swedish given out by the Swedish
company Libris in 1991 translation: Kerstin Gårsjö