3. Strain, Christopher Barry. “Civil Rights and ... - Freedom Archives

ehind it after all, he had heard about Gandhian philosophy during his studies at Morehouse
College, Crour Theological Seminary, and Boston University . But he wanted to learn how it
actually worked in practice, on the stroet, in everyday life . He was uneasy, even a little
doubtful, but willing to listen . He knew he needed help in engineering the bus boycott that
had paralyzed Montgomery's public transit system the past few months . Corctta told King
that their visitors had mmved . He hurried to finish lacing up his shoes .
Meanwhile, Rustin took a seat on the living nom sofa . Worthy sat, too, but as he
lowered himself into an inviting, over-stuffed recliner, Rustin hissed, "Watch out, Bill!
There's a gun in that chair!" Worthy halted in mid-squat and swivelled ; indeed, a handgun
lay in the seat . He pinched the grip between his thumb and forefinger, and gingerly moved
the pistol to one side .
When King entered the room, he saw that his two visitors were visibly upset . Worthy
gestured toward the gun and sternly asked King if he felt that firearms were compatible with
a nonviolent movement . Surprised and embarrassed, King answered affirmatively, saying
that he intended to harm no one unless violently attacked . The three men stayed up all night
as Rustin attempted to persuade King that guns could hinder the success of their cause and
that even the ~rcsence of guns ran counter to the philosophy developing behind what became
the modern civil rights movement .
King defended his precaution . He was trying to practice nonviolence, he told Rustin,
but he did not subscribe to the kind of pacifism championed by A . J . Muste, a labor-union
organizer during the Great Depression . As a student at Crour, King had heard Muste speak.
"I was deeply moved by Dr. Muste's talk," he later wrote, "but far from convinced of the
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