Where I grew up he was called a trouble-maker. They didn't mean any real harm, it was what their parents had taught them too. Racism was one of those things that I knew society said was wrong, but it made no difference. There it was ok.....
I remember the first time that the light came on for me. I was in my grandparents kitchen watching a DC Talk Behind-the-musicish special on the Insp. network. Racism had long been one of their platforms. I remember when they said, "This is wrong. This is sin". It was one of those times in my life (that would later be repeated) when something outside me struck a resounding chord with something that was already happening IN me. I guess I had known all along, but it was like the Holy Spirit was saying, "SEE! This is what I've been telling you". Now Dr. King is one of my heroes, for a lot of reasons, but partly because he was patient with people like me.