While in Atlanta I had the chance to spend a morning at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Historical Center. This site includes King's childhood home, the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where he served as pastor, and the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Reflecting on the work of the civil rights movement as I walked around the "Sweet Auburn" neighborhood was an incredibly moving experience - and one that fit perfectly with my research into how young adults can be involved in work for social justice from a standpoint of faith. 
Dr. King was only 26 when he became a leader in the Montgomery bus boycott. A special exhibit called "Children of Courage" highlighted the role of youth in the civil rights movement - protesting, marching, even going to jail. And to see all the groups of schoolchildren - black and white, holding hands in that "field trip chain" while their teachers tried to explain to them what segregation was like - this was a powerful reminder of how far we've come as a nation and how far we still have to go.
Statue of Kunta Kinte raising his infant daughter in an ancient African ritual of holding a newborn up to the heavens and proclaiming, "Behold the one thing greater than yourself."
This is one of my favorite pictures. The door on the exhibit said, "Want to see a future leader for justice? Look inside!" I caught this girl just as she caught a glimpse of herself.
(Dr. King's words above sum up the Gospel better than I ever could:
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?")
I love the reflection of the bus in the background. The quote from Dr. King reads, "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits."
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