Several leaders came from the civil rights movement to ensure that all people are treated equally regardless of their ethnicity or the color of their skin. One such leader is Martin Luther King Jr., who is now well-known. He worked as a minister for the Atlanta Baptist Church. Since he was to succeed his father, who had succeeded his father as a preacher, it was a family-run church (John Adams, 1963). Martin was a strong-willed leader who led the African American people through a period of bigotry, brutality, and unfair treatment. He advocated highly for the rights and freedoms of his fellow black brothers and sisters in a way that did not require violence. He arranged various boycotts and peaceful demonstrations countrywide.
The era of the civil rights movement was marked by a large number of unfair principles that governed the coexistence between the blacks and the whites. The African-American people were no longer slaves bought and sold in auctions, they were subjected to a new kind of slavery. A mental form of slavery where they were made to think of themselves as lesser beings compared to other races. They had segregated schools, restrooms, transport systems and even restaurants. The black man always got the worst of the facilities. In this time an elite group of people rose up against these injustices and fought for equal rights (Jr., 1959).
It is the view of many that leadership is not all about personality. Leadership, rather, is a set of skills and abilities that people perform. These are how the person models leadership. Through their acts rather than their words, can a person truly deserve to be termed a leader? In the case of Martin Luther King Jr., he modeled his leadership through principles of Christianity and justice. He advised his congregants to always pursue what is rightfully theirs free of fear, he asked those who met him in rallies to show tolerance towards their oppressors but keep up the spirit of fighting against white supremacists and racial discriminants.
It is in passion and a lot of sacrifices that leaders take up the strong belief that they can bring the change that they want to see. Great leaders like Martin Luther King envision a future that is safer and full of practice of the ideologies that they preach. They do this by creating plans and ideas that are unique and boldly proclaim what they intend to see in their organizations, societies and political environments. Through their visions and charisma they attract people towards their plan, they persuade governments and convince even the most cynic of people to see through their eyes (J Kouzes, 2012). This is the case with King. He had a dream that he shared with the protestors in Washington. He had a dream that one day the segregation would come to an end. He shared this dream passionately with the protestors and they were willing to see it through with him. They marched in protests to further destinations and rallied behind their leader even more.
There lies an endless stream of moments in life when one if they can stand up and fight, they can make all the difference in the world. It is at these times that leaders are born. This is because leaders have the intrinsic ability to recognize when a change has to be made. They recognize opportunities when the status quo has to be let go of and an entirely different system put in place. In the era of segregation, King saw the injustices around him and decided to speak out against them. He decided to protest against a racially segregative government and society. When leaders speak out or act to bring change they also know that consequences, failures, and risks come with initiating change (John Adams, 1963). With this Martin Luther King was arrested, his house bombed and his family and life threatened on numerous occasions. None the less he still powered on his bid for a racially equal America. He rallied people both blacks and whites in a bid for equal protection and rights of the African American man. In his bid to rally support for his campaign King moved over six million miles and spoke over two thousand five hundred times. Such acts showed his supporters that all they have to do is stick together and work as a unit to achieve a common cause.
It is the work of a leader to foster collaboration and to create highly motivated teams through actively involving other people on their work. Leaders strive to create a space of trust and human dignity and understanding. They understand that there is strength in numbers and power in unity. That is why such leaders as Mr. King championed the campaigns of people such as President Lyndon B. Johnson. They shared the same principles and such rallying for him still enabled Martin Luther King to achieve his goals. Martin Luther did not just recognize the contribution made by other people he empowered his own supporters. An example of such an instance is when he led a group of African American people to vote for the first time. By encouraging them to vote he gave them the power to make their own rules.
As earlier stated the model and definition of leadership is based on Christian principles and those belief systems held by Gandhi of nonviolence. He in many ways shows that he follows these statutes that describe a leader. Even in the face of police brutality Martin Luther King still led peaceful protests against racial discrimination (Brand, 2015). He preached peace to his followers during trying times. Instead of directing people he in the front line with his supporters. He attends rallies and arranges boycotts, for instance, the Alabama boycott that lasted 382 days and led to the changing of segregation laws in buses in the south. His active role in achieving his goals won him various accolades including and not limited to the Nobel Prize (Jr., 1959). It is because of his grand achievements in the civil and voting rights movements that he demonstrated that he was a truly great leader and is still an icon in today’s world.
References
Brand, A. W. (2015). The Leadership Challenge. New York: Oxford Press.
J Kouzes, B. p. (2012). The Leadership Challenge. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.
John Adams, K. R. (1963). Great Negroes Past and Present. Chicago: Afro-Am Publishing.
Jr., M. L. (1959). The Measure of a Man. Philadelphia: The Christian Education Press.
