Childhood
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929. He was the middle child of three children. His father was a pastor which influenced Martin in many ways. He was an excellent student in school and always studied very hard. When he was 15, Martin graduated from high school. His strengths in school were reading and studying speeches.
First Encounter with Segregation
When Martin Luther King Jr. was a child one of his friends was a white child from a neighboring community. When the boys began school, they each went to seperate schools due to segregation. Not long after school started, Martin's friend was no longer allowed to play with him because of his skin color. Martin was deeply affected by the experience and it opened his eyes to the segregation around him. He began to notice and take note of the signs declaring "Whites Only" and it angered him. So, he decided to do something about it.