King ran home to his parents to find out why his good friend did not want to play with him anymore. Martin Luther King's parents told their son that all their lives blacks suffered through many unjust situations because of the racist whites. They even informed young King about how under 100 years ago the majority of blacks were held prisoners as white people's slaves to do the work that the white people did not want to do. King's mother made it very clear that no matter what else anybody said to King, he should never believe that anyone else is better than he was (Shuker, 28). King was incredibly upset by the recent events that occurred and the news, which he had just learned. As a result, King decided that he would not be a friend with any white person until they treated him and his race as equals, as they should be treated. As King grew up, he may have become friends with whites, but stuck to his belief that all people should be treated equally, an incredible influence to his later involvement with the civil rights movement.
Along with how King suffered due to racism and segregation, the people and his religion were also great influence to his later actions. Growing up, King was always very involved in the Baptist church, in which his father was a minister. Other ministers who were also great influences to King were his two professors at Morehouse College. They were the school president, Benjamin Mays, and King's philosophy professor, George Kelsey. The men both succeeded in showing Martin Luther the great intellectual side of a church career (Current Biography Yearbook 1965, 234). Therefore, during King's junior year there in 1947, he was ordained a minister at Ebenezer Church. As a minister, he was brought closer to his highest idol, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was an exceptional inspiration to Martin Luther King due to his non-violent protest. King completely agreed with Jesus" actions, which proved that a goal could be accomplished without the physical abuse of one's opponent.