M A R T IN L U T H E R
January IS, 2001
R IN G O R .
2 003 s p e c ia l e d itio n
Page BIS
Three White Presidents and One Black Man
An inside look at
how Martin Lnther
King worked with
the White House
by
R on W eber
T he P ortland O bserv er
Three years into his first of two terms in the White
House, Dwight David Eisenhower was informed of a
situation in Montgomery, Ala., known as the Mont
gomery Bus Boycott. It involved Rosa Parks, a young
minister named Martin Luther King Jr., and ahost of
others.
King, who had just taken to the pulpit as the leader
of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery
was selected to lead the boycott. At first he appeared
to be just another preacher on a mission. However,
Eisenhower had a deeper feeling about this man.
There was something different about him. He was not
to be taken lightly and the President knew it.
After a bombing at the house of a King follower,
the civil rights leader wrote his first letter of protest
to President Eisenhower. Later, on Jan. 10,1957, the
home of Rev. Ralph Abernathy was bombed in the
middle of the night. Four black churches and two
homes had been bombed also that night and the next
day.
King raced to Atlanta where he attended the first
Negro Leaders Conference on Nonviolent Integra
tion. After several name changes, the organization
took a permanent name, the Southern Christian Lead
ership Conference. Dr. King was elected president
and immediately started sending telegrams to Presi
dent Eisenhower, Attorney General Brownell and
Vice-President Richard M. Nixon. Eisenhower de
clined King’s invitation to give a speech in the South
against segregationist violence. Instead, his office
informed King that the Justice Department would
“look into the bombings.”
The next month, Du. King wired the president
again, insisting on him to speak against the racist
bombings. King explained to Eisenhower that if he
did not comply, a march would take place. Thou
sands of people would march in a “pilgrimage of
prayer," to the White House front door. Eisenhower's
response was “You can't legislate morality.” He
continued to duck the issue and avoid King until
June 13,1957 when he finally allowed Nixon to give
King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy an audience at the
Formal Room in the White House.
After a two-hour interview with the vice president,
Mart/n Luther King Jr. (left) joins other civil rights leaders in a meeting with President John Kennedy (far right) a fte rth e M a rc td n W a s h in ^ .
’
.
* Eisenhower was skeptical at first,
but eventually wanned up to this black
Zearfer w/m was an advocate fo r
peaceful solutions and nonviolence
in regards to social change.
<
°
gS
forward on the voting rights bill,
Nixon told the president that he
Peaceiu* solutions and nonvio-
-------------------------- -— —
lence in regards to social
King referred to Nixon as "the most dangerous man
change.
in America,” because of his convincing someone he
On June 23.1958 King had a face-to-face discus
is on his or her side with false sincerity. King stated
sion with Eisenhower. Although the president fa
that the vice president was “magnetic' and “full of
vored a deliberate and orderly end to racial discrimi
enthusiasm" on the surface only. MLK said Nixon
nation, it would be an uphill battle. Just nine months
would pat a person on the back, pretend to be
earlier the governor of Arkansas defied a federal
supportive, and then drop the matter as soon as he
court order to integrate Little Rock High School.
left.
Eisenhower would face many such trials until his
However, as King and Abernathy were moving
second term ended.
When John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the
nation’s 35,h president, demands for civil rights was
the central issue facing him. During his first year in
office a group of Freedom Riders began traveling
through the South testing segregation and anti
segregation laws. Riots broke out in Montgomery
and Kennedy’s brother Robert, who was the attor
ney general at the time sent in U.S. Marshals to
restore order. Alabama Gov. John Patterson refused
any help, claiming he could manage the problem
himself. Dr. King followed suit by calling both the
president and Bobby Kennedy numerous times de
manding help. King continued pressuring both of
them and finally they called Patterson, ordering him
to protect the Freedom Riders and allow U.S. Mar
shals in to quell the situation. As King and the
Kennedy's kept the pressure on, Patterson finally
relented.
continued
y f on page H7
We celebrate
those who see our community not as it is,
but as it could be.
Change begins with vision. Someone who sees possibilities in the impossible. These
visionaries are here in our community and in communities across America. We’re
honored to share in their dreams and do our part to help achieve them.
Bank of America is proud to support Black History Month.
Visit us at bankofamerica.com.
bank of America
Hank of America, SÌA. Member H I K
NBR-57-1P-O585O5OO-AD
2111): Hank of America Cam om tion
Live th e cl ream
refuse to accept the
view
th a t m an k in d is so
tragically b o u n d
to the starless
m id n ig h t o f racism
and w ar
th a t th e b rig h t
day lig h t o f peace
and b ro th e rh o o d can
never becom e
reality.
I believe th a t u n arm ed
tr u th and
u n co n d itio n al
love
will have th e
final w o rd .
M artin L uther K ing J r .
/p
We m u s t p ro te c t
o u r legacy.
PGE
y
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