The glory road; Martin Luther King, Jr.

Educational radio under from the National Library Foundation. Americans make American. Stories of American. Freedom. And respect. Martin Luther King Jr.. City of Montgomery Alabama most of the white citizens vote this way.

Segregation. Well sir. So Greg Asian is the Southern way of life. We treat our Negras right. That is if they know their place and being underpaid. Everyone knows niggers don't need much to be happy just black eyed peas in fatback and see for yourself how happy they are. Why. Why shouldn't they be happy happy. Well the negroes of Montgomery rarely as happy as the rest of the town believe. My little boy I want to see the monkeys in OPAR but well happen not splain to him only and he can go there with the wife. What bothers me is the person always having to sit in the back like we weren't even human. Have all bus drivers treated like dirt. This was Montgomery in 1954 when a young well educated negro minister not quite twenty six years old arrived in the city to fill the pulpit of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He had been

born and raised in the south but had gone nor for much of his education and hated the ways of Southern segregation. In December 1955 a little more than a year after Dr. King's arrival a negro seamstress Mrs. Rosa Parks courageously refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white man. She was thrown into jail for disobeying the city segregation law. News of her arrest spread quickly through the Negro community and feelings ran high. Dr. King's big one came. Next. You heard right. Park trash. Yes I have. Is she still in jail now Ira. Something must be done. Something to make clear that we will not accept this type of treatment. I agree Mr Nixon. But what I thought about segregation for years how can we fight such injustice in a loving and peaceful manner. Mahatma Gandhi was able to do it in

India because he had thousands of followers who just sat down. They use passive nonviolent resistance and it worked. They won their freedom. But how can we talk to many of us to discuss this. We have planned I think to come I ought to stop writing a boycott. If we always used to ride the buses we might exert enough pressure to yes it might work if only enough of our people go along. That's where you and the other ministers can help our people work. Mr Nixon our people will be organized and the plan will work. Last day at the bus boycott of Dr. King and his wife up and dressed before dawn they stood at the window waiting.

I can't help feeling I just correct it until we see that first bus. I feel the same way Martin. If only our people would unite for once. Unless they do unite any kind of protest is hopeless. Why only 60 percent stop riding the buses. The boycott would be a great success. 60 percent. That's a lot to hope for. No sign of the first bus yet. We Southerners have accepted this segregation system too long he will accept evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with the Rose said. Men must refuse to cooperate with this humiliating and degrading system must be done away with and it can be if only if only. None of us have the gumption to protest. Yes. It's coming. The first bus is coming. Empty first class and I can't believe I have to see a few more buses. I'm taking the car to see what I can find out. Dr. King watched bus after bus and saw a total of only eight negro

passengers. It seemed a miracle. Our people are united. We hope for 60 percent cooperation. It's almost 100. Organized protest but it was not to be. Month after month after month the boycott. There were threats against his life and then one evening.

A bomb was thrown on the porch of his house. Dr. King hurried home from the meeting when he heard to find an angry crowd in front of his wrecked house. We are with you. There was no violence on the part of the boycott. Continue with bombing threats and mass arrests. Until. On November 13th 1956 the Supreme Court declared Alabama's segregation unconstitutional. Five weeks later Montgomery buses were integrated.

The negroes of Montgomery more than a year had preferred to walk the streets. Robert Reich the Boston was victorious. This was the beginning Dr. King's successful application of nonviolent resistance had given the negro weapon peace powerful weapon with which to battle injustice. We will take direct nonviolent action against injustice. We will not obey unjust laws or submit to unjust practices. We will do this peacefully and cheerfully because our aim is to persuade. We will always be willing to talk and seek a fair compromise but we are ready to suffer when necessary and even risk our lives to become witnesses to the truth as we see it. Overnight Dr. King found himself the leader of an awakening people and leader

he was an organization the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed with Dr. King as its president. This group was to actively protest in many parts of the Psalm. Dr. King marching at the head of his people he came to know well many Southern jails from the inside. In August 1963 March on Washington. Over 200000 people from all over the nation Negro and white together took part in the largest civil rights demonstration in history expressing their desire for racial equality. Here is the actual voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he addressed the throng gathered before the Lincoln Memorial that day. I have a dream. That one day

will be a governor. I have a dream my children. Will one day I am. Become a spokesman.

Nobel Peace Prize one of the World's Greatest here was international recognition of Martin Luther King as the symbol of the American peaceful struggle to achieve complete quality partnership in American life. In his acceptance speech in Oslo Norway Dr. King expressed his faith that people can have education and quality and freedom for the man. And every man.

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records Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the National Foundation has made possible the production of this program for national educational radio national educational radio network.