On Sept. 3, 1958, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walked to the courthouse in Montgomery, Alabama. He was standing by his friend Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, and wanted to show support for a man he respected. When he reached the courthouse door, two policemen stopped him and refused to let him enter.
The officers twisted his arms behind his back and forced him down the street to the police station. They charged him with "loitering," even though he had done nothing illegal. He was simply waiting.
That arrest became another moment that showed the world the strength of Dr. King's heart. He taught that true power is found in peace, even in the face of injustice. In a 1965 sermon in Selma, Alabama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."