*In 1954,
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wasnât the civil rights icon he would eventually become. At the time, King was in his mid-20s and served as the new pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. A well-known pastor in Montgomery mentored King.  The mentor was
Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy, Sr., senior pastor of First Baptist Church, one of Montgomeryâs oldest Black congregations. Â Abernathy and King became close friends.
âMy father taught him how to pastor, how to lead a church,â said
Donzaleigh Abernathy, daughter of Ralph and Juanita Abernathy. âHe taught him how to administer communion.â