The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
Afro-Americans - Civil rights
Associated Archive Content : 197 results
Brief for the PetitionersThis brochure illustrates questions as well as events pertaining to petitioners during the Civil Rights Movement. Important petitioners, such as Dr. King and Ralph David Abernathy, were convicted and charged with Contempt of Court in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. |
Chicago Freedom Fund FestivalThe Chicago Freedom Fund Festival, organized by Mahalia Jackson, served as a benefit for the SCLC. |
Congressional Record Regarding Antipoverty FundingThis Congressional Record documents a statement regarding the antipoverty bill. The statement, made to the public by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, urged Congress to support funding towards eradicating poverty for both black and white citizens. |
Correspondence - Contribution Thank-You Letter from MLK to Chris Folcker 8/16/66In this document Dr. King expresses great appreciation for the Swedish Consul General's donation of $100,000. The amount of this contribution would underscore that Sweden's commitment to Dr. King's work and the civil rights movement in general did not stop at the proverbial edge of the Nobel Peace Prize's water. |
Current MagazineThis Current Magazine issue on racism in the U.S. features an article "Is Direct Action Necessary" by Dr. King, as well as pieces by James Meredith, James Reston, and others. |
Diary in JailDr. King wrote a personal diary of his day-to-day experiences while in an Albany, Georgia jail for attempting to pray in front of City Hall. He pledged to return to jail, if necessary, if the City Commission refused to negotiate with Negro leaders on demands for immediate desegregation of all public facilities. |
Dr. King Does Know Where We're GoingIn this letter to the editor, Rev. W. Alfred Wilkins responds to a recent editorial, which reviewed Dr. King's book "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?" Rev. Wilkins explains why he disagrees with the previous editorial, and he summarizes several chapters he considers relevant. |
Draft of SCLC 1964 Annual ReportThis is a draft of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 1964 Annual Report. The document outlines developments that occurred in pursuits such as voter registration and Operation Breadbasket. The piece concludes with commentary on the future of the organization, specifically "deeper involvement in political action." |
Draft of SCLC 1964 Annual ReportThis is a draft of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 1964 Annual Report. Some of the topics discussed include the role of the SCLC, Operation Breadbasket and a voting bill. |
Draft of Speech for SCLC in NashvilleDr. King is outlining a speech he later presented to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Nashville. |
Draft Speech for Atlanta Nobel Peace Prize ReceptionDr. King drafts a speech that he will make in Atlanta for the reception honoring his Nobel Peace Prize winning. In the speech he offers his gratitude to friends and family who supported him in his efforts. Dr. King also briefly discusses the issue of racial injustice and the continued fight for equality. |
Economic and Social Bill of RightsThe SCLC calls for an economic and social bill of rights to demand the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for African Americans. It would include the right of every employable citizen to a decent job, the right of every citizen to a minimum income, the right to a decent house in a neighborhood of choice, the right to an adequate education, the right to health care, and the right to full participation in decision-making. |
Eulogy for Sixteenth Street Baptist Church VictimsThis is Dr. King?s eulogy for three of the four young girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. God gives man the right to exercise good and evil, King says, but God wills that everything will happen for the good ? that out of tragedy comes redemption. Martyred in the struggle for freedom, the girls have become symbols of the crusade and of the faith that sustains it. King speaks of forgiving those who murdered the girls and the need to transform the system, the way of life, and the philosophy that led to the bombing. |
Event Program for Chester Robinson TributeSpeaking invitation to Dr. King for a tribute to Chester Robinson and the West Side Organization at the First Congregational Church in Chicago. |
Excerpts from Remarks of The Vice PresidentVice President Richard M. Nixon speaks about the Eisenhower Administration’s support of Negroes in the fight to remove discrimination in employment. |
Excerpts from The Negro and the American DreamIn this address to the Charlotte, North Carolina branch of the NAACP, Dr. King outlines five actions that Negroes must address in order to ensure their own first-class citizenship. |
Fundraising Letter from MLK Addressed to FriendsDr. 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. |
Gift from James Allen to MLKIn this letter, James Allen, of International Publishers, presents to Dr. King a copy of "The Autobiography of W.E.B. DuBois." |
House Illustrations by the Fair Housing Council in Greater ClevelandAfrican Americans face discrimination in several suburbs of Cleveland Ohio. The Fair housing Council developed to promote integrated housing options. |
How Much Head Start for Mississippi's Children?Kay Longcope describes the current status of the Child Development Group of Mississippi following the decision to pull funding for the program made by the Office of Economic Opportunity. |
I've Been to the MountaintopDr. King gave this address at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee the night before he was assassinated. He called for nonviolent protest and a boycott of Memphis area businesses in support of the Memphis Sanitation Workers strike. Conveying a sense of foreboding, he not only recounted a near-death experience when he was stabbed near the heart, but also spoke of the possibility of his own demise at the hands of those who opposed him. |
Injunction from the City of BirminghamSeveral members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, including Dr. King, receive a temporary injunction from the City of Birmingham. |
Insight Broward: Bullets, Backflips & Baby-TalkMoreland Smith forwarded a copy of Insight Broward Magazine for Dr. King to view. In this collection of articles, Jim Corvell expresses his disapproval of Alcee Hastings, a local NAACP lawyer, who was a candidate for the House of Representatives. Coryell heatedly describes his efforts to thwart what he called "the [N]egro racist's political plans. |
Jesse Jackson Gets New SCLC AssignmentThe Chicago Daily Defender highlights Dr. King's appointment of Rev. Jesse Jackson as head of the Special Projects and Economic Development Department of the SCLC. |
Jo Marks writes Harry Belafonte Regarding Civil Rights HelpJo Marks writes Mr. Harry Belafonte a lengthy letter about the civil rights situation in Houston and to request that he perform at the Astrodome. |
Joint Statement on Violence in the CitiesDr. King, A. Philip Randolph, Whitney M. Young Jr., and Roy Wilkins issue a joint statement urging Negro Americans in cities such as Newark and Detroit to end the public disorder and rioting. The civil rights leaders emphasize the potential damage the urban riots pose to "the Negro population, to the civil rights cause, and to the entire nation." |
Letter and Article from D. Parke Gibson to MLKD. Parke Gibson sends this article in Race Relations and Industry to Dr. King with the intention of including him in a future issue of the magazine. Those involved in the article agree that progress towards having minorities in leadership roles is on the rise, but not fast enough. |
Letter from a Concerned Christian to MLKThis letter penned by "Concerned Christian" informs Dr. King of a change in the course of the Civil Rights Movement. The "Concerned Christian" makes note of the increased amount of violence in the city of Baltimore and reprimands Dr. King's "reduced faith in God." |
Letter from a Disillusioned Supporter to MLKAn anonymous author, who identifies himself as a "white Jew," explains his decision to withdraw financial support from Negro organizations and causes. The reasons for his lack of support include the death of two Jews in Philadelphia, who died aiding the Negro cause, and the rioting in cities. |
Letter from Alfonzo Henderson to Afro-AmericansThis letter from ARIDO (Afro-American Resource Industrial Development Organization) president Alfonzo Henderson outlines the organization's program goals. |