King's sense of the historical importance of the Montgomery bus boycott was remarkable, given that it had just begun the morning of his speech. Although boycott leaders were not sure at first that they should seek desegregation on the city's buses rather than simply better treatment, King correctly understood that the Montgomery protest concerned more far-reaching goals and ideals. “We are determined here in Montgomery to work and fight until justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream,” he announced at the first mass meeting of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) held on Monday, December 5, 1955, four days after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man (2).
Because he was selected to head the MIA, King became the best known of the boycott's participants and his Stride...
