It is common to attempt to identify the ancestral influences and character traits in those who achieve some measure of success. From sports to politics, no one succeeds independently of their family, community, or the culture in which they were raised. The same could be said of Martin Luther King, Jr. His profound sense of the correlation between justice and religion did not magically appear. King’s father and grandfather provided the prophetic influences upon his life and career that ultimately led to the Nobel Peace Prize and a transformation of race relationships in this country.
Reverend A.D. Williams
King’s maternal grandfather, the Reverend A. D. Williams, embraced a prophetic model of ministry and wrestled with the problems of equal rights and social justice while serving as the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta between 1894 and 1931. As an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Williams often led social protests and fought for the rights of black children to receive a comparable education as white children. His vision of the ministry was that of the social advocate whereby the church would be involved in challenging Jim Crow racism at every opportunity. Williams preached that blacks could not be complacent with a few scattered accomplishments. This message was born from his conviction that the church was responsible for but the spiritual well being of the people and their daily well being.
The Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr.
Martin Luther King, Sr. was Williams’ son-in-law, and was so inspired by him that his own ministry was influenced by what he witnessed. After Williams’ death in 1931, he followed him as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. He may have been the new pastor, but the ministry of social action remained intact. For example, King, Sr., fought against segregated buses, led boycotts in support of voting, and protested for the full-arrest powers of the city’s black policemen. His vision of his ministerial obligation included advocating for justice for the black community and equality among all races.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Therefore, the prophetic influences of social justice through ministry filtered down to King, Jr. from his grandfather and father, and had two visible impacts. The first was King, Jr.’s decision to enter the ministry as a vocation. The second was how he saw the ministry as an active element in civil rights activism. Certainly others influenced King, Jr.’s ministry and helped develop his social consciousness. While at Morehouse College, men like Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, Dr. George D. Kelsey, Dr. Lucius M. Tobin, and Dr. Samuel Williams imparted upon him the strong theological base from which his social activism was rooted.
These influences also taught King, Jr. that being in the ministry meant the “taking up of the cross.” He knew he would have to give up the normal comforts if he was to live true to the legacy passed down to him; even if it meant his own life.
Reference:
King, Martin Luther, Sr. (1980). Daddy King: An Autobiography, written with the assistance of Clayton Riley. New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc.
Ron Goodwin - I remember my first day of history class as an undergraduate. The first day of any class is often stressful but history was particularly ...
