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Stride Toward Freedom 26/10/2010 09:33 Page 1 Stride Toward Freedom 26/10/2010 09:33 Page 1 STRIDE TOWARD FREEDOM The Montgomery Story MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. In the INDEPENDENT VOICES series SOUVENIR PRESS Stride Toward Freedom prelims.indd 3 12/05/2021 10:33 Stride Toward Freedom 26/10/2010 09:33 Page 2 Published by agreement with Beacon Press. Copyright © 1958 by Martin Luther King, Jr. Copyright © renewed STRIDE TOWARD1986 by FREEDOMCoretta Scott Copyright King, Martin © 1958 Luther by KingMartin III, Luther Yolanda King, Jr. CopyrightKing, Bernice © renewed King. 1986 Introduction by Coretta © Scott2010 King,by Clayborne Dexter King, Carson Martin Luther King III, Yolanda King, Bernice King. All rights reserved. Published by arrangement with Beacon Press Introduction copyright © 2010 Clayborne Carson — THE— IPM KING In Association With INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES LEGACY MANAGEMENT, INC. This editionThis of Stride edition Toward of Stride Freedom Toward is basedFreedom on isthe based 1958 on edition the 1958 published edition in the Unitedpublished States by inHarper the United & Brothers. States bySome Harper spellings & Brothers. and punctuation Some spellings have been and punctuationadjusted, have beenand obvious adjusted, errors and obvioushave been errors corrected. have been corrected. This edition published in Great Britain in 2011 by Souvenir Press Ltd 43 GreatThis Russell paperback Street, edition London published WC1B in 3PD 2021 First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Souvenir Press, an imprint of Profile Books Ltd The right of Martin Luther King,29 Cloth Jr. to Fair be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by himLondon in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and EC1APatents 7JQ Act, 1988 All rights reserved. No part of thiswww.profilebooks.co.uk publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Copyright owner. The right of Martin Luther King, Jr. to be identified as the author of this workISBN has 9780285639010 been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 Text Alldesign rights by reserved.Yvonne Tsang No part at Wilstedof this publication & Taylor Publishing may be reproduced, Services. stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means,Printed electronic, and mechanical, bound in Great photocopying, Britain or otherwise, withoutCPI Antony the prior Rowe, permission Chippenham, of the CopyrightWiltshire owner. ISBN 978 1 78816 786 4 eISBN 978 0 28563 971 3 Text design by Yvonne Tsang at Wilsted & Taylor Publishing Services. Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY Stride Toward Freedom prelims.indd 4 12/05/2021 11:46 Stride Toward Freedom 18/11/2010 15:04 Page 2 Among the first to ride a Montgomery bus after the Supreme Court’s integration order went into effect on December 21st, 1956, are (front row) Rev. Ralph Abernathy and an unidentified woman, and (second row) Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rev. Glenn Smiley of New York, “who said he was in Montgomery as an observer.” AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS To Coretta NZCFMPWFEXJGFBOEDPXPSLFS Contents Introduction by Clayborne Carson JY Preface YYJY I Return to the South II Montgomery Before the Protest III The Decisive Arrest IV 4HE$AYOF$AYS $ECEMBER V The Movement Gathers Momentum VI Pilgrimage to Nonviolence VII Methods of the Opposition VIII The Violence of Desperate Men ix Desegregation at Last X Montgomery Today XI Where Do We Go from Here? Appendix Index Introduction 8IFOUIFIJTUPSZCPPLTBSFXSJUUFOJOUIFGVUVSF TPNFCPEZXJMM IBWFUPTBZ i5IFSFMJWFEBSBDFPGQFPQMF BCMBDLQFPQMF BQFPQMFXIPIBEUIFNPSBMDPVSBHFUPTUBOEVQGPSUIFJSSJHIUT "OEUIFSFCZUIFZJOKFDUFEBOFXNFBOJOHJOUPUIFWFJOTPGIJTUPSZ BOEPGDJWJMJ[BUJPOw $ELIVEREDAT-ONTGOMERYS(OLT3TREET "APTIST#HURCHON$ECEMBER 7ITHNOCERTAINTYTHATTHEONE DAYBUSBOYCOTTON $ECEMBERCOULDBESUSTAINEDLONGENOUGHTOSUCCEED TWENTY SIX YEAR OLD -ARTIN ,UTHER +ING *R PREDICTED THATTHEPROTESTSPARKEDBY2OSA0ARKSSARRESTWOULDHAVE LASTING HISTORICAL SIGNIlCANCE 4HE BOYCOTTS INITIAL GOALS WEREMODESThCOURTEOUSTREATMENTBYBUSDRIVERSvAND hlRST COME lRST SERVEvSEATING WITHBLACKRIDERSTAKING SEATShFROMTHEREARTOTHEFRONTOFTHEBUSv.ONETHELESS +INGSENSEDTHAT-ONTGOMERYSBLACKRESIDENTSHADJOINED AMOMENTOUSNATIONALANDEVENINTERNATIONALMOVEMENT SEEKINGGOALSBEYONDFAIRTREATMENTONBUSES)NTHEAFTER MATHOF7ORLD7AR)) LONG ESTABLISHEDSYSTEMSOFRACIAL DOMINATIONWEREBEINGCHALLENGEDTHROUGHOUTTHEWORLD )NTHENEWLYFORMED5NITED.ATIONSHADREFUSEDTO TAKEAlRMSTANDAGAINSTCOLONIALISMBUTTHREEYEARSLATER APPROVEDTHE5NIVERSAL$ECLARATIONOF(UMAN2IGHTS GIVINGMORALSUPPORTTOSTRUGGLESAGAINSTCOLONIALISMAND ALLFORMSOFRACIALDISCRIMINATION"YTHEN THEDECADES LONGPROTESTCAMPAIGNIN)NDIAINSPIREDBY-AHATMA 'ANDHIHADACHIEVEDINDEPENDENCEFROM"RITISHCONTROL 0AKISTAN "URMANOW-YANMAR AND#EYLON3RI,ANKA ALSOBECAMEINDEPENDENTNATIONS%LSEWHEREIN!SIA !F JY Y | introduction RICA AND THE #ARIBBEAN ANTICOLONIAL MOVEMENTS GAINED STRENGTH ASMORETHANFOURDOZENNATIONSDECLAREDTHEIR INDEPENDENCEDURINGTHENEXTTWODECADES)NTHE5NITED 3TATES !FRICAN !MERICANS INTENSIlED THEIR LONG STRUGGLE AGAINSTRACIALBARRIERS INSISTINGTHATTHENATIONLIVEUPTO THEDEMOCRATICIDEALSITAFlRMEDINTHEWARAGAINSTFASCISM AND .AZISM AS WELL AS THE SUBSEQUENT #OLD 7AR AGAINST COMMUNISM4HE.!!#0S,EGAL$EFENSE&UND LEDBY 4HURGOOD-ARSHALL WONMAJORLEGALVICTORIESTHATWEAK ENEDTHEPREVAILINGhSEPARATEBUTEQUALvDOCTRINEESTAB LISHEDBYTHE3UPREME#OURTS1MFTTZW'FSHVTPODECISIONOF 4HE3UPREME#OURTOVERTURNEDTHISDOCTRINEWHEN ITUNANIMOUSLYDECLAREDPUBLICSCHOOLSEGREGATIONUNCON STITUTIONALINTHELANDMARK#SPXOW#PBSEPG&EVDBUJPODECI SIONOF-AY !LTHOUGH#SPXOHADLITTLEIMMEDIATEIMPACTONSCHOOL SEGREGATION ITENCOURAGED!FRICAN!MERICANSTOBELIEVE THATTHEENTIRESOUTHERN*IM#ROWSYSTEMOFENFORCEDRACIAL SEGREGATIONANDDISCRIMINATIONCOULDBEOVERCOME"EFORE THEDECISIONWASANNOUNCED +INGANDHISWIFE#ORETTA HADDECIDEDTORETURNFROMTHEIRSTUDIESIN"OSTONTOTHEIR NATIVE3OUTHAFTERCONCLUDINGhTHATSOMETHINGREMARKABLE WASUNFOLDINGINTHE3OUTH ANDWEWANTEDTOBEONHAND TO WITNESS ITv 4HE SON AND GRANDSON OF "APTIST PREACH ERS WHO HAD ALSO BEEN !TLANTA CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS +ING HAD BEEN AN ORDAINED MINISTER SINCE (E ATTENDED -OREHOUSE#OLLEGE WHEREHEBECAMEINSPIREDBYTHESER VICE ETHIC OF 0RESIDENT "ENJAMIN % -AYShONE OF THE GREATINmUENCESOFMYLIFE v+INGENTHUSEDIN4USJEF+ING THENPREPAREDFORTHEMINISTRYBYCONTINUINGHISSTUDIESAT 0ENNSYLVANIAS#ROZER4HEOLOGICAL3EMINARYANDAT"OS TON 5NIVERSITYS 3CHOOL OF 4HEOLOGY WHERE HE RECEIVED introduction | YJ HISDOCTORALDEGREEIN*UNE+INGS#ROZERAPPLICATION EXPLAINEDTHAThANINESCAPABLEURGETOSERVESOCIETYvHAD SPURREDHISCALLTOTHEMINISTRY ANDHISSEMINARYANDGRAD UATESTUDIESDEEPENEDHISUNDERSTANDINGOFTHEPEACEAND JUSTICEMESSAGEOF#HRISTIANITY)NHISSERMONACCEPTINGTHE OFFERTOBECOMEPASTOROF-ONTGOMERYS$EXTER!VENUE "APTIST#HURCH +INGINFORMEDHISCONGREGATIONTHATHE WASCOMMITTEDTOASOCIALGOSPELMINISTRYh)HAVEFELTWITH *ESUSTHATTHESPIRITOF;THE=,ORDISUPONME BECAUSEHE HATHANOINTEDMETOPREACHTHEGOSPELTOTHEPOOR TOHEAL THEBROKENHEARTED TOPREACHDELIVERANCETOTHECAPTIVES ANDTOSETATLIBERTYTHEMTHATAREBRUISEDv%VENBEFORE THE+INGSSETTLEDIN-ONTGOMERYDURINGTHEFALLOF LOCALCIVILRIGHTSACTIVISTSWEREMOBILIZINGTHEIROWNCAM PAIGNAGAINSTTHESOUTHERN*IM#ROWSYSTEM*USTDAYSAFTER LEARNINGABOUTTHE#SPXOdecision, Jo Ann Robinson, head of Montgomery’s Women’s Political Council, wrote to the city’s mayor criticizing mistreatment of black bus riders. When King was formally installed as Dexter’s pastor, he named Robinson as cochair of the church’s Social and Po- litical Action Committee, with a mandate to encourage voter registration by members and to keep “the congrega- tion intelligently informed concerning the social, politi- cal and economic situation.” King soon became involved in civil rights activities, speaking at meetings of NAACP branches in Birmingham and Montgomery. When fifteen- year-old high school student Claudette Colvin was arrested in March 1955 for violating Montgomery’s bus segregation ordinance, King joined Robinson, Parks, and other black residents to meet with city and bus company officials. By the time of Parks’s arrest on December 1, black residents were prepared to resist degrading treatment. Even though YJJ | introduction other local leaders were more responsible for organizing the initial boycott, King enthusiastically assisted the effort and quickly gained the respect of Robinson and NAACP stalwarts such as Parks and Pullman car porter and labor activist E. D. Nixon. Thus, it was not entirely surprising that local leaders turned to the youthful newcomer to the city to head the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) that they had formed to carry on the boycott. !LTHOUGHHEDIDNOTEXPECTTOBECOMEHEADOFTHE-)! +ING UNDERSTOOD THE BOYCOTTS BROADER IMPLICATIONS (IS HASTILYPREPAREDSPEECHTHATEVENINGAUDACIOUSLYLINKED THE-)!SMODESTINITIALOBJECTIVESTO!MERICANPOLITICAL PRINCIPLESh)FWEAREWRONG THE3UPREME#OURTOFTHIS NATIONISWRONGvAND#HRISTIANIDEALSh)FWEAREWRONG *ESUSOF.AZARETHWASMERELYAUTOPIANDREAMERTHATNEVER CAMETOEARTH)FWEAREWRONG JUSTICEISALIEv4HEBOY COTTSGOALSOONBECAMETHEDESEGREGATIONOFTHECITYSBUSES ANDTHE DAYCAMPAIGNIN-ONTGOMERYSPURREDASUS TAINEDMASSMOVEMENTTOOVERCOMETHEENTIRESOUTHERN SYSTEMOFLEGALIZEDSEGREGATIONANDRACIALDISCRIMINATION +INGS SUBSEQUENT SPEECHES PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND PUB LISHEDWRITINGSWOULDTRANSFORMTHE-ONTGOMERYMOVE MENTINTOAMILESTONEOFTHE!FRICAN!MERICANFREEDOM STRUGGLEANDCONlRMHISPREDICTIONOFITSPLACEINHISTORY 7RITTENLESSTHANTWOYEARSAFTERTHESUCCESSFULCOMPLETION OFTHEBOYCOTT 4USJEFISBOTHTHElRSTBOOK LENGTHHISTORYOF THE-ONTGOMERYMOVEMENTANDTHElRSTOF+INGSTRILOGY
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