Young King: The Making of Martin Luther King Jr.

We know who Martin Luther King, Jr. became, but who was he at the beginning of his life? How did his youth inform his outlook and his approach to activism and service? Before Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights leader, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and a global hero, he was an emotional boy, and an average high school student devoted to fashion, dancing, and dating. On his way to college, he took a summer job that left the Jim Crow South behind and tested his oratory skills—preaching in the tobacco fields of Connecticut, which ultimately gave him a sense of hope for a life of racial peace and harmony. Stanford University’s Lerone Martin traces the youthful roots of this legendary American to reveal the makings of a mighty force. Filled with revelations and written with compassion, Martin offers a new understanding of the influential preacher and activist’s emotional life, his youthful confusion about his future and career direction, his inspiration to fight for justice, his teenage missteps, and his first revelations of courage. As America undergoes another era of turmoil and change, this powerful biography offers encouragement for readers at a similar moment of life and provides an understanding of how greatness comes to light. To that end, Martin illuminates both King’s weaknesses and the social failures that shaped him, including the brutal racism he endured growing up. Join us to hear, from a preeminent King scholar, the origin story of the man, the minister, and the civil rights hero who inspired our nation to change itself—and the world. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices