"By 1962, King had become, by the media's reckoning, the new civil rights leader"

Constance Baker Motley's quote is referring to the rise of Martin Luther King Jr. as a civil rights leader in the early 1960s. By 1962, King had actually become a popular figure in the civil liberties movement, and was widely acknowledged by the media as the leader of the movement. King had actually already been involved in civil liberties advocacy considering that the mid-1950s, however it was in 1962 that he started to gain nationwide attention for his management. He was a powerful orator and a passionate advocate for civil rights, and his speeches and actions motivated many individuals to join the movement. King's leadership was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or nationwide origin. His tradition continues to motivate individuals to eliminate for justice and equality today.