Story perspectives

Lost Footage Reveals Young Martin Luther King Jr.

1/19/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Jason Ipock, who digitizes family films, discovered a 13-minute video featuring Martin Luther King Jr.
The footage, taken on May 9, 1950, shows King with his girlfriend Betty Moitz during a Crozer Theological Seminary graduation.
Their relationship was serious, but societal pressures against interracial marriage led to their separation.
Historians Jonathan Eig and David Garrow say the film shows a young, happy King before he became a civil rights leader.

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Story summary

Jason Ipock, who digitizes family films, discovered a 13-minute video featuring Martin Luther King Jr.
The footage, taken on May 9, 1950, shows King with his girlfriend Betty Moitz during a Crozer Theological Seminary graduation.
Their relationship was serious, but societal pressures against interracial marriage led to their separation.
Historians Jonathan Eig and David Garrow say the film shows a young, happy King before he became a civil rights leader.