"Dr. King was among the most articulate, well-educated, humble and courageous men that I have ever met in this world!"
These were the words spoken by the Honorable, former U.S. Congressman and Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., the Rev. Walter Fauntroy.
"I met Dr. King at a time when I was at Virginia Union University. He was traveling from Atlanta to Boston University to begin his Ph.D. studies. He stayed at the dormitory where I was freshman dorm director. He stayed in the guest room because he could not travel in the South and stay at hotels because of the "Whites Only" signs.
"I reconnected with him at my church in 1959. At that time, he asked me to serve as director of the Washington Bureau of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He also requested that I be the coordinator of the 1963 March on Washington. At his request, I also coordinated the Selma, Alabama March in 1965," Rev. Fauntroy said. "Dr. King helped me launch unity in the Shaw community here in Washington."
"At the time of his death, he was chairman of the board for the MLK Non-Violence Center in Atlanta. He asked me to form ---- in 1967 to document the history we had made."
Given the history of stress-related illnesses that affect Blacks, Rev. Fauntroy confided, that even under the greatest amount of pressure Dr. King endured each day, there were no signs or talk of health problems.
"Throughout that period of time Dr. King was very healthy. To the surprise of many people, he was a good athlete. He ran fast and was a good baseball player! Throughout his life he was very healthy," Rev. Fauntroy said. "He did smoke every now and then, but never to the point where it became a habit."
When asked about Dr. King the person, versus the civil rights activist, Rev Fauntroy replied, "Dr. King had an unusual sense of humor. He liked to dress. He liked fine clothes. In the Black community, historically, when we did not have enough capital to buy houses and cars, we could always get together enough to buy expensive clothes. Dr. King was always dressed very well. He was particularly fond of Mohair suits, the shiny black ones."
"Dr. King was definitely a mentor to me. He introduced me to non-violence as a way of life and as a way of achieving full citizenship," Rev. Fauntroy said.
Rev. Fauntroy has been pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church, 9th Street N.W., since 1959. In addition to his many works, his distinguished career includes study at the Yale Divinity School and more than 39 years of organizing in the streets of America. His political career began in 1971 and spanned 20 years until his retirement from Congress.
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