MLK Jr. Visits Mt. Zion during the Civil Rights Movement (November 1961)

Image of MLK Jr and Reverend Samuel B. McKinney

Martin Luther King Jr. stands with Mt. Zion’s Reverend Samuel B. McKinney during MLK Jr.’s visit to Seattle in 1961Heffernan, Trova. (2016) Office of the Secretrary of State. Washington Legacy Project "The Reverend Dr. Samuel B. McKinney: "We're not in Heaven yet." page 15. PDF

Martin Luther King Jr. was invited to Seattle by Reverend Samuel B. McKinney of Mount Zion Baptist Church in 1961. The African American church has long served as a resource for community activism and as a rallying point for change. Interest in hearing MLK Jr. speak quickly outpaced the capacity of the church to host the event and three separate events at different venues were held. The visit encouraged a number of young African American leaders in Seattle to become more involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Resource: Henry, Mary. “Martin Luther King Jr. Arrives for His Sole Seattle Visit on November 8, 1961.,” January 8, 1999. https://historylink.org/File/673.