Photo Feature: Dr. King Beyond the Speeches

By Ashley Sankey
Digital Storytelling Administrative Assistant

The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are often commemorated through the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at the Ansley Hotel in Atlanta, and his assassination on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking at a banquet at the Ansley Hotel in Atlanta, honoring him as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Atlanta History Photograph Collection, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

While these are notable highlights of Dr. King’s career, it’s worth exploring lesser-known aspects of his life, such as the places where he played as a child and the neighborhoods where the King family lived.

Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue. Floyd Jillson, Floyd Jillson Photographs, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

Born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929, to the Rev. Michael King Sr. and Alberta Williams King, Dr. King was immersed in Black activism and prominence from his earliest moments.

Martin Luther King, Jr. standing in front of his birthplace at 501 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. Atlanta History Photograph Collection, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

His birth home in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood was nestled within what would become the cradle of the civil rights movement, though it wouldn’t officially begin until the mid-1950s.

Dr. King played basketball on the court behind Fire Station №6 as a child. By 1963, this station became home to one of the city’s first integrated fire departments.

Fire Station No. 6 on the corner of Boulevard and Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. Herbert H. Lee,
Herbert H. Lee Photographs, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

As a student, he amassed numerous academic achievements. These included graduating from Booker T. Washington High School at age 15 and being initiated into the first Black intercollegiate fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Chapter, in 1952.

A group of students assemble outside Booker T. Washington High School in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta during an address by Mrs. Gertrude Nabrit regarding students’ entries into a health essay contest promoted by the Atlanta Anti-Tuberculosis Association (later named Atlanta Lung Association). Lane Brothers, Atlanta Lung Association Photographs, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

In 1953, Dr. King married Coretta Scott, a social justice activist and music educator. She became a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement and mother to their four children: Yolanda, Martin Luther III, Dexter, and Bernice.

Coretta Scott King, a civil rights leader and widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., speaks at the 65th annual National Urban League Convention in Atlanta. Boyd Lewis, Boyd Lewis Photographs, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

In Atlanta, the Kings resided in Vine City, a neighborhood symbolic of Black affluence in the early 20th century. When they moved there in 1965, the area was grappling with severe economic disparities, and Dr. King aspired to revitalize the community.

An unidentified man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, Coretta Scott King, Juanita Abernathy, and unidentified residents of the Vine City neighborhood in Atlanta protest living conditions. Bill Wilson, Bill Wilson Photographs, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

Their residence in Vine City was the last home of Dr. King before his assassination in 1968. He was interred at South-View Cemetary before being moved in 1970 to a crypt at The King Center in Atlanta, established by Coretta Scott King.

The tomb of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the King Center on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, after a snowstorm. Boyd Lewis, Boyd Lewis Photographs, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center

Explore Album to discover new ways to remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Also, attend the Atlanta History Center’s 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on January 15. This event is part of the ongoing effort to honor his life and legacy.