Our Friend, Martin

Miles and Randy visit the MLK Middle School museum housed in Martin's childhood home. While handling a baseball glove, they are suddenly transported back in time. The journey kicks off a series of vivid lessons about race, courage, and nonviolence.

Miles and Randy encounter 12-year-old Martin playing with his white friends Sam and Skip Dale. They witness the social rules of segregation and his mother's fear of Black people. Martin speaks about how fear shapes prejudice, hinting at the future's heavy choices.

They are transported to 1944 and meet a 15-year-old Martin on a segregated train. He explains that Blacks and whites cannot mingle under the system of separate spheres. The moment underscores the pervasiveness of segregation.

Miles and Randy watch Martin as a young adult serving as a minister in a church. They observe his family life and see him working to guide his community through turbulent times. They realize leadership can begin long before national recognition.

During a Montgomery moment, they learn MLK's home has been bombed, but his wife and newborn daughter survive. The group grapples with fear and the urge to retaliate, weighing violence against nonviolence. Martin's steady resolve to pursue peaceful change is highlighted.

Turner presses for retaliation against the bombers, but Martin urges restraint, citing Gandhi and Jesus. He argues that pursuing peace is the truest form of strength and a path toward lasting justice. The crowd absorbs the power of nonviolent resistance.

Miles and Randy witness the Birmingham riot as firefighters and police spray protesters with fire hoses and release dogs under Bull Connor's orders. They see the brutal costs of the movement and the courage of those who endure it. The scene cements the stakes of civil rights actions.

Back at the museum, Miles and his friends recount MLK's work to Mrs. Clark and watch a videotape detailing his efforts. They realize their classroom lessons are connected to real, perilous history. The film links past and present in a call to action.

Maria Ramirez and Kyle Langon decide to investigate how Miles learned about MLK's legacy. Mrs. Peck warns them that meddling with history can alter the present, but they choose to join Miles' group. Their curiosity drives the next journey into the past.

The group travels to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and meets MLK in his 30s and a young Mrs. Clark. The event underscores the scale of the civil rights movement and the dream of equality. They witness MLK's leadership during a pivotal moment in history.

To disrupt a foreseen assassination, Miles and the group go back to 1941 and bring a 12-year-old Martin forward. Only Miles and Martin return, signaling that the timeline has shifted toward an alternate present. The risk of changing history becomes painfully real.

The altered present shows a burnt museum, racist versions of Miles' friends, and a segregated school named after Robert E. Lee. Miles and his companions see how one change ripples through every facet of their lives. The consequences of tampering with history become stark.

Martin explains that he must return to his own time to restore the timeline and warns that assassination may still come. He hands Miles his watch as a farewell, signaling the cost of his intervention. The act underscores the limits of changing history.

The timeline snaps back to normal after MLK is killed at a motel, confirming that Miles cannot prevent the assassination in the long run. Martin's work returns to its historical canon, and Miles sees the truth of his mission.

Miles reunites with Randy, Maria, and Kyle and learns that the past cannot be changed, but the future can be shaped by continued effort. Mrs. Peck reminds them that progress comes from action, not wishful thinking. Miles earns an A on his history project and vows to keep carrying Martin's work forward.