KING

Fifty years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, his legacy is still being written.

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This work was commissioned, produced, and edited by The Atlantic's editorial staff. Support for this work was provided in part by the organizations listed here.

Support for this project has been provided by the Fetzer Institute, the Ford Foundation, and the Charles H. Revson Foundation.

illustration with calligraphy reading "Before King Was King"
Lettering by Adé Hogue

The Young Man Who Became a Civil-Rights Icon

Before he led the Montgomery bus boycott or marched on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. was a chain-smoking, pool-playing student at Crozer Theological College just discovering his passion for social justice.