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Luthuli, A. J. (Albert John)

b. 1898 - d. 1967

Albert Luthuli, a South African anti-apartheid activist and Zulu chief, taught at the elementary and college levels and was a lay Congregational preacher and board member of the Christian Council of South Africa. He was active in the African National Congress, becoming its president in 1952. His vocal opposition to apartheid resulted in government bans from public activity and virtual house arrest. In 1960, Luthuli received the Nobel Peace Prize for his promotion of a nonviolent struggle against apartheid, becoming the first African to win the award. He traveled to America to issue the 1961 Appeal for Action against Apartheid with Dr. King and the American Committee on Africa. Mutual admirers, Luthuli and King remained close. King once wrote to Luthuli: “I admire your great witness and your dedication to the cause of freedom and human dignity.”

Associated Archive Content : 5 results

Fundraising Letter from MLK Addressed to Friends

Correspondence
New York, NY, Mississippi (MS), Selma, AL, South Africa, Chicago, IL

Dr. King writes this letter on behalf of the Workers Defense League, requesting funds to assist six South African youth who seek political protection in the U.S.

Letter from Joseph W. Williams to MLK

Correspondence November 4, 1964
Atlanta, GA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Detroit, MI, South Africa

Joseph W. Williams congratulates Dr. King on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech Draft

Speeches December 10, 1964
Philadelphia, MS, Montgomery, AL, Oslo, Norway, Mississippi (MS), UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Alabama (AL)

In 1964, Dr. King became the first African-American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. At age 35, he was also the youngest recipient of the award to date. Emphasizing a philosophy of nonviolence, Dr. King writes this acceptance speech commemorating the courageous work of the Civil Rights Movement. He highlights the brutality faced throughout the United States and addresses the irony of accepting a peace prize on behalf of a movement that has yet to obtain peace.

Norwegian Peace Initiative

Correspondence January 6, 1967
Oslo, Norway, NORWAY, VIETNAM, Washington, D.C.

Five Norwegians concerned about the Vietnam conflict propose that winners of the Nobel Peace Prize form a negotiating delegation to visit the US and Hanoi governments.

Special Human Rights Year Issue of The Journal of the International Commission of Jurists

Other January 1, 1968
SENEGAL, UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, PAKISTAN, SOUTH AFRICA, MEXICO, IRAN, SWEDEN, FRANCE, NIGERIA, BRAZIL, GREECE, AUSTRIA, CANADA

This document is informing prospective contributors about the Special Human Rights Year Issue of The Journal of the International Commission of Jurists. Dr. King was listed to contribute to the publication with "Freedom and Equality."