Benjamin Elijah Mays And The Civil Rights Movement

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Benjamin Mays had a huge impact in the 50s-60s Civil Rights Movement. He was the president at Morehouse College, a mentor to Dr.Martin Luther King Jr., and was a respectable figure to Dr. MLK Jr. Benjamin Elijah Mays was born on August 1, 1894 in South Carolina, and was the youngest of eight children. His parents, Louvenia Carter and Hezekiah Mays, were former slaves and former tenant farmers. Benjamin went to school at Bates College, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1920. Later, he went to the University of Chicago and earned his Master of Arts degree in 1925. After that, he attended the School of Religion and earned his Ph.D. in 1935. Benjamin became the president of Morehouse College in 1940, and started to mentor Martin Luther