King: A Life

After graduating from Crozer, King pursued a doctorate at Boston University, suggesting he was more interested in an academic career than in preaching. In Boston, he continued to date around and also hosted spirited philosophical discussions at a weekly potluck dinner. While hardly free of racism, Boston had opportunities far beyond those available in the South, but Martin (as he was now known) felt his roots in the Southern Black church and also wanted a more traditional family, which his more progressive dating partners were reluctant to provide. A friend from Atlanta introduced him to a Black conservatory student named Coretta Scott, and he was instantly charmed by her charm and intellect. Two years older than Martin, Coretta grew up in Alabama, where despite great poverty and brutal racism, her family acquired land and she was able to pursue an education, graduating from Antioch College with a major in elementary education and then pursuing a graduate degree in music from the New England Conservatory. When she met King, she had little taste for the emotionalism of the Baptist church and was in no rush to marry, leading King to worry she would resent the life of a pastor’s wife. Even so, he was bent on marrying her, and would prepare her for the role if necessary.