Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism and death.

“The ‘system’ in the South kept black people apart from white people. It was called segregation. Black children and white children went to separate schools. Black people had to ride at the back of the bus. As he grew up, Martin decided to fight for change. But it was a peaceful fight.”

In the book’s Prologue, Bader introduces Martin Luther King, Jr., and his philosophy of nonviolence to young readers in a simple, accessible way. She explains the racist Jim Crow system in the South, noting that it kept Black and white people socially separate. As a Black boy, King experienced the effects of racism firsthand, and he decided early on to fight this unjust political system. Bader emphasizes that despite the harshness of the segregation laws, King’s response was always peaceful.

“Young Martin had a very happy home life. He had an older sister named Willie Christine. […] He also had a younger brother named Alfred Daniel. The Kings lived in a large house on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. Their neighborhood was comfortable. No one was very poor or very rich. There was a lot of love in Martin’s family. Martin never remembered his parents arguing.”

This passage indicates the formative impact of King’s parents on his character and personality. King grew up in a house that empowered him with love against the harsh social reality of racism. His parents’ harmonious relationship set a positive example, and through them, King understood the power of love and community, which came to define his outlook and mindset.

“That night at dinner, the family had a long talk. This was the first time that Martin realized how many white people felt about black people. Even so, his parents told Martin not to hate white people. It was his duty as a Christian to love everyone. Martin’s mother told him that he should always keep a sense of ‘somebodyness’—that he was important—even though the outside world was telling him he was not.”

King had a close relationship with his parents and shared a special bond with his mother. When he was excluded from the company of white students, his mother reinforced his sense of self. Even though she could not shield him from racism, she countered its distorting effects by instilling self-worth and self-love in him. Thus, King learned that love, not hatred, was the way to social justice.