How Did Martin Luther King Contribute To The Civil Rights Movement

Martin Luther King was a beacon of hope for the civil rights movement however, he was not the most significant factor in the improvement of the lives of Black Americans. Undeniably, he was, and is still, considered to be the face of the civil rights movement. His charismatic speaking ability – such as the memorable I Have A Dream speech -, his ability to use the media to amplify and show the world the violent retaliation by whites in Southern America and his association with the Montgomery Bus Boycott contribute to his importance in relation to the civil rights movement. However, the improvement of Black American’s lives was not down to King alone. It is important to recognise other very significant changes which resulted in larger improvements
The SNCC (Southern Non-Violent Co-ordinating Committee) had attempted to organise peaceful protests against numerous issues that the city faced such as segregation and police brutality. However, as they did not have support from the local NAACP branch, it was difficult for the SNCC to gain the momentum necessary to achieve their aim of challenging segregation. The Albany Movement was created to prevent further disarray, resulting in Martin Luther King being invited to Albany by the student leader of the movement, William Anderson. This caused anger amongst students as many believed it was the people’s movement and should be viewed as that, for example, a former student at the time, Janie Culbreth Rambeau suggested it was the “people’s movement” . This shows that it was not Martin Luther King who was leading the efforts to improve the lives of Black Americans but rather collective Black Americans. However, it could be argued that the inability to improve Black Americans lives in Albany was not due to Martin Luther King or the Black American’s efforts but because of the tactics used by the Chief Police Officer of Albany, Laurie Pritchett as he returned the non-violent stand of protestors by peacefully arresting them. Furthermore, this non-violent approach illustrates how Pritchett avoided the FBI’s involvement. The lack of violence ensured that there would be less coverage of the Albany movement and therefore, resulted in minimal news coverage. As Martin Luther King had gained media attention as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement through the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the absence of the media coverage only further contributed to his inability to help significantly at Albany. As Martin Luther King left Albany in 1962 after being arrested