KING
SETS FORTH HIS GOAL OF “THE FULL INTEGRATION
OF THE NEGRO INTO ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN LIFE....
THE RIGHTS OF NEGROES CANNOT BE TRAMPLED IN ANY COMMUNITY
WITHOUT IMPAIRING THE RIGHTS OF EVERY OTHER AMERICAN”
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Typed Letter Signed,
Atlanta, GA, 31 July 1964. 1 page, 11" x 8½", on Southern
Christian Leadership Conference stationery.
An African American Baptist minister, Martin Luther King Jr. first emerged
as a leader of the civil rights movement and an advocate of non-violent
resistance to achieve social change when he headed the year-long Montgomery
bus boycott in 1955-56. In 1957, King helped found the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC) to coordinate direct action protests in
the South, and he served as its first president until his assassination
in 1968.
This letter was written during a momentous year in King’s life.
Named Time magazine's "Man of the Year" in January
1964, King led a series of demonstrations against racial segregation
in St. Augustine, Florida, in the spring, witnessed the signing of the
federal Civil Rights Act on July 2, supported voter registration efforts
during the Mississippi Freedom Summer, and in mid-October, received
word that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In this splendid letter to a supporter, King sets out some of his basic
beliefs. After thanking his correspondent for a donation to the SCLC,
King declares, “Such moral and financial support are of inestimable
value for the continuance of our humble efforts. Without your dollars
for freedom, the Conference would be unable to work effectively toward
its goal of the full integration of the Negro into all aspects of American
life. Your contribution will help our work in communities all across
the South. At present, SCLC has staff members in more than twenty communities
seeking through nonviolent direct action and voter registration campaigns
to break down the barriers of racial segregation and discrimination.
“Without your moral support,” King continues, “we
would be caught in a dungeon of despair without knowing that many people
all over the nation are supporting us in our struggle. By aiding us
in this significant way, you are telling the world that the rights of
Negroes cannot be trampled in any community without impairing the rights
of every other American. Thank you again for making our financial problem
a little less burdensome.” He has signed, “Martin
L. King Jr.”
The letter is written on SCLC stationery that identifies King as President.
It is in fine condition. $10,000.00
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