Martin Luther King Jr.: A Voice for Justice

A look inside

The opening of Martin Luther King Jr.: A Voice for Justice, free to read.

1. 

   Martin grew up on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, surrounded by family. His parents, grandparents, sister, and brother shared the house. Nearby, Black families ran shops and gathered at churches in a neighborhood called Sweet Auburn. Martin knew this lively place as home. Beyond it, however, some rules treated Black people as if they mattered less.

2. 

   Those rules were called segregation. They kept Black people apart from white people in schools, parks, and many other places. Martin noticed unfairness early. He later remembered seeing people waiting for food during hard times and asking his parents why. What could people do when a rule, or a whole system, was wrong?

3. 

   At Ebenezer Baptist Church, Martin watched people gather, sing, and listen. His mother, Alberta, played the organ and began a choir. His grandfather, then his father, led the church as pastors. Martin later called church a second home. There he saw people use their voices together.