[1] King was a member of the Floyd Chapel Baptist Church and decided to become a preacher after being inspired by ministers who were prepared to stand up for racial equality.
After King started courting Williams' daughter, Alberta, her family encouraged him to finish his education and to become a preacher.
[3] With the country in the midst of the Great Depression, church finances were struggling, but King organized membership and fundraising drives that restored these to health.
While visiting sites associated with reformation leader Martin Luther, attendees also witnessed the rise of Nazism.
Whilst the BWA conference issued a resolution condemning antisemitism, the senior King gained deepened appreciation for the power of Luther's protest.
He became a local leader of the civil rights movement, serving on the executive committee of the NAACP chapter in Atlanta[6] and the Civic and Political League as an officer.
That experience revealed to me at a very early age that my father had not adjusted to the system, and he played a great part in shaping my conscience.
King Jr. became an associate pastor at Ebenezer in 1948, and his father wrote a letter of recommendation for him to attend the Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.
King was a major figure in the civil rights movement in Georgia, where he rose to become the head of the NAACP in Atlanta and the Civic and Political League.
King had refused to ride on Atlanta's bus system since the 1920s after a vicious attack on black passengers with no action against those responsible.
Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi of India, he led nonviolent protests in order to win greater rights for African Americans.
In 1969, King was one of several members of the Morehouse College board of trustees held hostage on the campus by a group of students demanding reform in the school's curriculum and governance.
[15][16] While Alberta was playing "The Lord's Prayer" on the church organ, Chenault stood up and yelled, "You are serving a false god", and fired his gun at her.