Young Martin's Promise

Young Martin’s Promise is the story of a young Martin Luther King, Jr., and his slow awakening to the existence of segregation. As a child, Martin experiences discrimination that would motivate his efforts to end segregation as an adult.

In one instance, his White friends tell Martin that their parents said they can no longer play with him any more because he is Black. This upsets Martin and results in his mother telling him about segregation as she tries to comfort him.

Another instance is at the shoe store with his father. After taking seats in the front of the store, Martin and his father are told they must take seats in the rear of the store because, as the White clerk tells them, “that is the only place we serve black people”. Martin and his father refuse to move and end up leaving the store without buying shoes. Martin is upset and this time his father talks to him about segregation telling him that it is “stupid and cruel”.

Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.