How Martin Luther King, Jr. Affected My Life

[MineralMan]

In early 1965, overwhelmed by a bad choice of college major and some other personal issues, I dropped out of college in my Sophomore year. I was troubled about many things at the time, including the growing war in Vietnam and civil rights issues, but did not know how a 19 year old skinny white kid was going to do anything about it. Yes, I was listening to Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and hearing what they were saying. I went to San Francisco and hung out in North Beach and met some of the Beats, but they were old, even then, at least to me. Slowly, I found that I was becoming more and more aware of things that I could not accept.

Then, on March 7th or 8th, I saw a news story on television about an attempted march in Selma, Alabama. I scarcely knew where Alabama even was. I saw people being beaten and attacked by dogs, with the angry faces of white policemen filling the screen. I became aware of a man, Martin Luther King, Jr., for the first time.

Since I was out of school, with no responsibilities, I pulled a couple hundred dollars out of my school fund, got in my 1951 Chrysler New Yorker and headed South and East. The car was in terrible condition, and the trip took many days, with breakdowns and various other misadventures. I didn't have any idea what I thought I would do there, but I was determined to be there.

I arrived in Selma around the 18th of March, and joined the many others who had come there to try to do something...anything...to make this injustice go away. I talked to many people, some my age, some older, some in clerical collars, and some in rags. I got an education on life in Alabama in the 1960s. I heard President Johnson's speech on a motel television set while I was on the road. I was almost dizzy with new information.

Now, I had grown up in a small California town that had a black population of exactly zero. The state college I had attended had virtually the same percentage of blacks. I don't believe I had ever met a black person before arriving in Selma. I was so naive that it now seems incredible to me. I had a vague idea about racial issues, but learned I actually knew nothing.

Well, the 21st of March came along, and I wasn't one of the 300 to cross the Edmund Pettus bridge that day, guarded by Army and National Guard troops. But I made it to the huge gathering in Montgomery a few days later to hear Dr. King speak. His speech sent chills down my spine, and I realized that my life had been inexorably changed by my experiences during that week. Standing there, anonymously, in that crowd of people who were dedicated to equal rights for all people, I understood that my juvenile plans for my life were ridiculous. It was a time I will never forget. How could I?

That week or so in Alabama set me on a new course, one I have followed ever since.

Thank you, Dr. King!

[JohnnyLib2]

1. Thank you for this.

We've come so far, and yet.....

[MineralMan]

2. There will always be more work to do...