Martin Luther King, Jr., is well known
for his work in civil rights and for his many famous speeches, among them his
moving "I Have A Dream" speech. But fewer people know much about King's
childhood. M. L., as he was called, was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the
home of his maternal grandfather. M.L.'s grandfather, the Reverend A. D.
Williams, purchased their home on Auburn Avenue in 1909, 20 years before M. L.
was born. The Reverend Williams, an {{U}}eloquent{{/U}} speaker, played an important
role in the community since so many people's lives centered around the church.
He allowed his church and his home to be used as a meeting place for a number of
organizations dedicated to the education and social advancement of blacks. M.L.
grew up in this atmosphere, with his home being used as a community gathering
place, and was no doubt influenced by it. M. L.'s childhood was
not especially {{U}}eventful{{/U}}. His father was a minister and his mother was a
musician. He was the second of three children, and he attended all-black schools
in a black neighborhood. The neighborhood was not poor, however. Auburn Avenue
was the main artery through a prosperous neighborhood that had come to symbolize
achievement for Atlanta's black people. {{U}}It{{/U}} was an area of banks,
insurance companies, builders, jewelers, tailors, doctors, lawyers and other
black-owned or black-operated businesses and services. Even in the face of
Atlanta's segregation, the district {{U}}thrived{{/U}}. Dr. King never forgot the
community spirit he had known as a child, nor did he forget the racial prejudice
that was a seemingly insurmountable barrier that kept black Atlantans from
mingling with whites.