mediately asked my parents about the motive behind such a statement. We were at the dinner table when the situation was discussed, and here, for the first time, I was made aware of the existence of a race problem. I had never been conscious of it before."
King's mother and grandmother taught young Martin about "slavery and segregation and being black in America." Alberta impressed upon her young son the idea that although black Americans were treated unfairly, they were in no way inferior to whites. She told him, "'You're as good as anyone else, and don't you forget it.'" King began to study black history on his own, reading everything he could find to increase his knowledge of his people and their status in America. Clearly, even at this early age, Martin Luther King, Jr. was already preparing for his future role as a civil rights activist and reformer. However, it is important to note that King's particular brand of activism did not function on a strictly political level; it was fueled by the power of his religious convictions. While h
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