Lot 1006
King, Martin Luther, Jr (1929-1968) African American clergyman and civil rights leader; winner of Nobel Peace Prize (1964). Typed letter signed as President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, on SCLC letterhead, one page, 11 x 8 ½", Atlanta, May 21, 1965. To Sargeant [sic] James Adair, Police Department, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: "Let me express my sincere appreciation for the time and effort which you spent in providing both protection and traffic accompaniment for myself and the members of my party. While I hardly feel this necessary most of the time, it is both comforting and humbling to know that there are persons who are so concerned about my welfare." Fine. Also listed on the letterhead are Ralph Abernathy, Treasurer and Andrew J. Young, Executive Director. Accompanied by the transmittal envelope.
Dr. King had reason to be grateful for police protection. Only two and a half months earlier, on March 7, 1965, some 600 civil rights marchers were attacked by state and local police with billy clubs and tear gas as they marched from Selma, Alabama (which was the center of King's and the SCLC's efforts to register black voters in the South) to Montgomery to demand an explanation for the killing of activist Jimmie Lee Jackson by police during a February 18th march in Marion, Alabama, and to protest their exclusion from the voting process. The March 7th march became known as "Bloody Sunday." Television and newspaper coverage allowed the rest of the country and the world to witness the brutality inflicted on the marchers and was a turning point in public support for the Civil Rights Movement. On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000.
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| Realized $2,460 |
