King Allusions

Amos

8th century B.C. prophet who warned the Israelites that the Lord was displeased with their behavior.

Apostle Paul

Wrote many books of the New Testament, primarily letters to churches he helped establish.

Eugene 'Bull' Connor

Commissioner of Public Safety in Birmingham, Alabama, dedicated to maintaining segregation.

Socrates

Ancient Greek philosopher known for posing difficult philosophical questions, tried and sentenced to death by poison.

Albert Boutwell

Won the Birmingham mayoral runoff in 1963 after no candidate secured enough delegates.

Millennium

A reference to Revelation 20, where the Second Coming of Christ will be followed by 1000 years of peace.

Reinhold Niebuhr

An influential Protestant theologian who related Christian faith to modern political reality.

Earl Warren

Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who said, 'Justice too long delayed is justice denied' in 1954.

St. Augustine

Christian theologian and bishop of North Africa, an authority of the early Christian church.

St. Thomas Aquinas

Medieval philosopher considered the greatest by Roman Catholics and significant in theology.

Martin Buber

Jewish philosopher who stressed the mutual, holistic existence of two beings in relationships.

Paul Tillich

German-American Protestant philosopher who addressed Christian existentialism.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Biblical figures who refused to worship a golden statue and were thrown into a furnace but emerged unharmed.

White Citizens Council

A white supremacist group that worked to maintain segregation without resorting to violence.

Elijah Muhammad

Leader of the Nation of Islam advocating for an independent nation for African Americans.

Martin Luther

Leader of the Protestant Reformation who attacked Catholic Church abuses with his 95 Theses.

John Bunyan

Christian writer of the 1600s, known for 'The Pilgrim’s Progress' and was imprisoned for preaching without a license.

Governor Barnett Ross

Democratic governor of Mississippi who opposed James Meredith's admission to the University of Mississippi.

Governor George Wallace

Alabama governor who pledged segregation and used violence against peaceful demonstrations.

T.S. Eliot

Poet and playwright who became a British subject after moving from Missouri, noted for works like 'Murder in the Cathedral.'