Martin Luther King Jr.: Minister, civil rights activist, and public opinion leader

Abstract

This article incorporates the ideologies, symbolism, and strategies employed by Martin Luther King Jr. to radically transform public opinion regarding the rights of blacks to become integral participants in the “American Dream”—a dream that would allow them the same privileges accorded to those in mainstream society. It illustrates his ability to infuse Christian philosophy with democratic values which ultimately provided continuous momentum for the Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, it offers a basic understanding of the relevance of the church in healing inequities to which blacks were subjected. Dr. Kern-Foxworth is an associate professor in the Department of Journalism at Texas A&M University. In 1991 she was named an Agnes Harris Postdoctoral Fellow by the American Association of University Women