Description:

REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
(1929-1968) Clergyman and civil rights leader who advocated nonviolent but active and massive confrontation in order to obtain rights for blacks. Fine content T.L.S. "Martin L. King Jr." 1p. 4to. on Southern Christian Leadership Conference letterhead, Atlanta, Dec. 3, 1963 responding to an invitation to participate in a "Race Relations Day Service" at the Aldersgate Methodist Church in Wilmington, Del. King politely declines the invitation citing his need to tend to his own congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church. King writes, in full: "This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of recent date inviting me to speak at Aldersgate Methodist Church on Sunday, February 7, 1965. First, let me say how deeply grateful I am to you for extending this invitation. Because I am away from my church so much during the week, I have had to adopt a firm policy of not being away from my church more than one Sunday in each month. My calendar reveals that I have already accepted, tentatively, an engagement for the Second Sunday in February, 1965. I never accept invitations for the first Sunday in a month since that is our communion Sunday at my church. Please know that I deeply regret my inability to serve you on this very significant occasion." Although King had long been a leader of the civil rights struggle, his address at the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom propelled him to national celebrity and also paved the way for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. King's electrifying "I have a dream" speech placed him great demand for speaking engagements. Yet despite this newfound celebrity, King still prioritized the needs of his own congregation. Offered together with a retained copy of King's invitation. Light horizontal creases, else very fine condition.

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December 16, 2010 11:00 AM EST
Stamford, CT, US

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