Growing up black in a predominantly white neighborhood in upstate New York in the 1950s and ‘60s, Johannes Christian revered the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He watched all of King’s speeches on TV. “Wanting to be a preacher myself, he was my idol,” said Christian, who has become a bit of a local and national celebrity himself for his teachings on triumphing over tragedy and the power of forgiveness.adcelannotate = {"mobilepaywallcategory" : "MOBILE_PREM-LOCAL","nativepaywallcategory" : "NATIVE_PREM-LOCAL"};