Letter from Mrs. Mildred Yacks to MLK

Transcript

Feb [February] 9 - [19]68 Reverend Martin Luther King: Dear Sir. Though I have never met you, but I have seen you on various occasions. I believe you are a sincere and a devout Christian man, but sir, may I say that your efforts are being wasted, because, as many as you help, they are replacing them with children without hope and without help, with no hopes of rehabilitation. You need to go into the juvenile courts, the boys training schools, and places [Page 2] like that. Send your people in there to help and protect the ones that can't protect themselves. I called the organization that is supposed to represent your people and told them of how 3 boys had been unjustly treated, and they asked where? When I told them Booneville MS. [Mississippi] They informed me it was not there concern. But if I would come in and sign a statement they might look into it. This I would not do. Now I am talking [to] you and if you are sincere in your efforts [Page 3] that you really and truly only want equal rights for your people, and that in itself is a false statement, because if you are a man of god as you profess all people are your people. You are discriminating against the rest of the world. The choice is yours either you love all the people or you have none. Sincerely, [Closing Signature: Mrs. Mildred Yacks] [Page 4] A house divided can not stand. Those children need help. I have not the funds or the health but if you won't help them then I will find some way to help them. With Gods help. I don't think your a hypocrit [hypocrite]. But you can't be friend and foe both. You have to be one or the other.