What role did Martin Luther King Jr. play in the Montgomery bus boycott?

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Montgomery bus boycott Activist Rosa Parks sitting on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, 1956.

Martin Luther King Jr. played a pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. Following Rosa Parks's arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, activists formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to boycott the city's segregated bus system. King, a young and respected pastor new to Montgomery, was chosen as the MIA's leader.12

In his speeches, King articulated the need for protest and advocated for nonviolent resistance, becoming a prominent voice for the American civil rights movement. Despite facing threats and the bombing of his home, King's leadership sustained the boycott for 381 days, ultimately leading to the Supreme Court's decision to desegregate Montgomery's buses.12