King: A Life

King and Coretta moved into a shabby Chicago apartment in January 1966. Ghettoization had become a severe problem in Chicago as the rising Black population drove white people out, leaving them in effectively segregated and underfunded neighborhoods. At this point, “King seemed more like a tourist than a resident, as he continued to crisscross the country, responding to crises, raising money for the SCLC, and preaching Sundays at Ebenezer” (477). Mayor Daley was formally accommodating, calling for plans to end the slums, and King attempted a prolonged sit-in at an apartment complex with poor living conditions. He had a friendly meeting with Elijah Muhammad, suggesting to some that he was willing to strike out in a more radical direction. He tried to reiterate his basic faith in the American system while calling out its structural flaws, but the subtlety was often lost on his audience, especially as King’s critique of Vietnam became more sustained.

King planned a massive march from Soldier Field in Chicago to City Hall, while also sponsoring a conference in Washington, DC, “to build support among white Americans for the Johnson administration’s plans to improve housing, education, and employment for Black people” (482).