exemplifies a compassionate leader, but another of King's leadership qualities was his unmatched trustworthiness among blacks of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in a time of severe segregation and hatred towards the African-American people of the United States. Many African American civil rights activists – such as Reverend George Lee, Lamar Smith, and NAACP state director Medgar Evers – were victims of gruesome murders due to their efforts in the civil rights movement (Austin, 2002). Martin Luther King Jr. was also killed due to his efforts as one of the movement's leaders, and every time King organized a rally, his followers risked their lives by participating as well. Their faith in Martin Luther King Jr.'s non-violent demonstrations was finally rewarded, as African-American people now constitute an important part of the population.