Article January 19, 2004 ISSUE

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

By Melba Pattillo Beals

When I first met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in fall of 1957, I was immediately struck by the deep stillness he projected. I will never forget his posture as he entered the room, slowly, majestically, with eyes that seemed to absorb everything. I had read about this great man, seen his picture in the newspaper, and had often heard the adults talking about him.

At the time, I was 15 years old, and was one of nine African American teenagers whose safety was in jeopardy because we were on the front lines of a civil rights struggle Dr. King had helped to start. We nine Arkansas teenagers were stuck in the civil rights struggle to integrate schools. We were caught amid a firestorm of controversy among states' rights advocates, gun-toting segregationists, and proponents of the supremacy of federal law.

About the author

Melba Beals is the author of several books including the award-winning Warriors Don't Cry. She heads the communications department at Dominican University in San Rafael, California.

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