Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership
Chapter One
First Listen: Lead by Being Led
As he reached the top of the steps, twenty-five-year-old Martin
Luther King, Jr., must have paused to take a look around before
entering the small two-story red-brick building for the first time.
Looking to the east, he couldn't have missed the Confederate flag
waving in the wind atop the old state capitol building-still there
after having been unfurled for the first time nearly a century
earlier. He probably would have noticed, too, that the American flag
was positioned below the Confederate flag. Also from his position,
he could have readily viewed the portico where, on February 18,
1861, Jefferson Davis had been sworn in as president of the
Confederate States of America. As it was, Martin found himself
standing smack dab in the middle of downtown Montgomery, Alabama-the
"Cradle of the Confederacy"-the first national capital of the
Confederate States. The building he was about to enter was Dexter
Avenue Baptist Church-the parish for which he had just accepted the
job of pastor. It was to be his first professional position after
leaving ... read full excerpt from: Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership: Inspiration & Wisdom for Challenging Times ebook
