Montgomery city officials reject MIA proposals; King consults T. J. Jemison; MIA approves car pool

December 8, 1955

King and other members of the MIA executive board meet for four hours with city officials, representatives of the Montgomery City Lines, and members of the ACHR. The MIA proposes courteous treatment by bus drivers; seating on a first-come, first-served basis, with Negroes seated rear to front, whites front to rear; and employment of Negro bus drivers on predominantly Negro lines. These requests are not approved. King calls Rev. T. J. Jemison of Baton Rouge, leader of a brief bus boycott in 1953, to ask for advice on transportation alternatives. That night the MIA’s second mass meeting, held at St. John AME Church, approves the establishment of a car pool system as a temporary alternative to the buses.