MONTGOMERY

In 1954, Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King, Jr., moved to Montgomery, Alabama, and King began his pastorship at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. From the beginning, King was committed to social gospel ministry, addressing economic injustice and encouraging his congregation to become socially active. However, his leadership role in the civil rights movement did not begin until he became the spokesman for the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). Contrary to what many believe, King was a product of the movement rather than the initiator. He went to become the public voice for the grassroots protesters and countless local activists. 

 

In response to Rosa Parks' arrest and Jo Ann Robinson's successful call to boycott the public buses, black community leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA).  The organization supported local activists in caring on the boycott. On December 5, 1955, Martin Luther King, Jr., became the chairman of the newly established MIA. As its leader, King inspired and guided the many local organizers and activists in their nonviolent boycott of public transportation. In November 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a federal district court's ruling in Browder v. Gayle, ending segregated seating on public buses. By framing the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the broader context of the universal human struggle for equality, King emerged as a major civil rights leader while drawing national attention to the racial segregation in the South.