The crowd cheered lustily even when King strayed from his text to explain the distinctions between eros, filios, and agape, the three Greek words for “love.” Rustin decided that he had overestimated the importance of content. Press commentators would say that King’s performance proved that his Montgomery leadership was no fluke. Rustin already knew that, but he puzzled over King’s ability to move widely divergent audiences with material that seemed suited to a college student’s notebook.
