Life Stories Martin Luther K G iN Jr. US_001_Martin_Luther_King_Half_Title.indd 1 15/06/18 6:25 PM Life Stories Martin Luther K G iN Jr. US_001_Martin_Luther_King_Half_Title.indd 1 15/06/18 6:25 PM US_002-003_Martin_Luther_Title.indd 2 15/06/18 6:25 PM Life Stories Martin Luther K G iN Jr. by Laurie Calkhoven Illustrated by Charlotte Ager US_002-003_Martin_Luther_Title.indd 3 15/06/18 6:25 PM Editor Allison Singer Senior Designer Joanne Clark Project Editor Roohi Sehgal Editor Radhika Haswani Additional Editorial Kritika Gupta Art Editor Kanika Kalra Project Art Editor Yamini Panwar Jacket Coordinator Francesca Young Jacket Designer Joanne Clark DTP Designers Nand Kishor Acharya, Sachin Gupta, Vijay Kandwal Picture Researcher Aditya Katyal Illustrator Charlotte Ager Pre-Producer, Pre-Production Dragana Puvacic Producer Basia Ossowska Managing Editors Laura Gilbert, Monica Saigal Deputy Managing Art Editor Ivy Sengupta Managing Art Editor Diane Peyton Jones Delhi Team Head Malavika Talukder Creative Director Helen Senior Publishing Director Sarah Larter Subject Consultant Kyair Butts Literacy Consultant Stephanie Laird First American Edition, 2019 Published in the United States by DK Publishing 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Copyright © 2019 Dorling Kindersley Limited DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC 19 20 21 22 23 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001–308810–Jan/19 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN: 978-1-4654-7435-3 (Paperback) ISBN: 978-1-4654-7542-8 (Hardcover) DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 [email protected] Printed and bound in China A WORLD OF IDEAS: SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW www.dk.com 4 US_004-005_Imprints_Letter_from_author.indd 4 19/07/18 12:19 PM Dear Reader, I was eight years old when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died—too young to understand fully what had happened, but old enough to know that our country had lost a great man. In learning more about Martin’s life to write this biography, I finally understood just how great he was. Martin’s belief in positive change through love and non-violence made a real difference. When people around him were (understandably) reacting to racism with anger and violence, Martin held firm to his belief that only peaceful action could change the world. I hope Martin’s life will inspire you, as it has inspired me, to always “meet hate with love” and believe in your dreams to create a better world. Laurie Calkhoven 5 US_004-005_Imprints_Letter_from_author.indd 5 15/06/18 6:25 PM T h e life of... Marti 1 n Luther Family OF ministers KiNG Jr. page 8 6 the movement 7 spreads page 46 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” page 54 poverty The 9 problem 8 Selma “I have a page 74 dream” page 64 US_006-007_Contents.indd 6 15/06/18 6:25 PM 2 T h e life of... Marti “Whites only” n page 16 3 A clear path page 22 4 5 Love Rosa Parks and refuses to stand marriage page 36 page 30 10 11 poverty The “Free problem 12 at last ” page 84 page 92 A lasting legacy page 100 US_006-007_Contents.indd 7 15/06/18 6:25 PM Chapter 1 Family ministers OF Early in his life, there were clues young Martin Luther King Jr. would grow up to become a leader in the fight for civil rights. Martin was born into a family of ministers. His mother’s father, A. D. Williams, was the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin’s father, Martin Sr., was the church’s co-pastor. The Williams family and the King family lived together in a comfortable house on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. Martin Sr., known to his family as “Daddy King,” hadn’t always lived in Atlanta. He had grown up on a farm in South Georgia where his father was a sharecropper. A sharecropper What are The rights to freedom and equality given by the civil rights? US Constitution. African-Americans were often denied their civil rights, especially in the South. 8 US_008-015_Martin_Luther_Chapter_1.indd 8 15/06/18 8:08 PM