BDBoop
Platinum Member
- Banned
- #1
Martin Luther King: Montgomery Improvement Association advice for riding desegregated busses
In June 1956, a federal district court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional; the Supreme Court affirmed the ruling in November 1956. The MIA waited until December to declare an end to the boycott, wanting to make sure that the ruling would be carried out in Montgomery. Dr. King signaled the official end of the boycott by boarding an integrated bus on Dec. 21, 1956.
Gandhi-inspired civil rights leaders Glenn E. Smiley and Bayard Rustin advised King and the MIA during the boycott. This document shows how far the philosophy of non-violence had permeated the movement by the time of this victory.
Protestors riding newly integrated busses were told to ride with an ally (Try to get on the bus with a friend in whose non-violence you have confidence) and to avoid conflict at all junctures (Do not deliberately sit by a white person, unless there is no other seat; If cursed, do not curse back).
What an amazing bit of history.