Description:

Martin Luther King, Jr.
[Atlanta, GA], March 6, 1961
Martin Luther King, Jr. TLS Re: "Stride Toward Freedom" Film Rights To Literary Agent Marie Rodell
TLS

A 1p typed letter signed by Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) as "Martin" in blue ink near bottom center. March 6, 1961. [Atlanta, Georgia.] Typed on watermarked stationery with "Martin Luther King, Jr. / Ebenezer Baptist Church" letterhead. King's last name as part of his typed signature has been circled in red colored pencil. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds. A thin strip of adhesive tape is located along the top edge of the reverse, with light mounting traces. Else near fine. 8.5" x 11."

In March 1961, Martin Luther King, Jr. was co-pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church and concurrently serving as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was also a successfully published author; his first book, about the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus Boycott, had been published in 1958 as "Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story."

King sent this reply to his literary agent, Marie Rodell (1912-1975), co-founder of the literary agency Marie Rodell and Joan Daves, Inc. Rodell had represented King leading up to the publication of "Stride Toward Freedom" and beyond. Rodell corresponded regularly with King regarding the book and its project offshoots, including film deals.

King wrote in part:

"This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of February 23 concerning your recent talks with the Educational Communications Corporation.

I am quite in accord with the offer that is being proposed. As you say, it is not a brilliant offer but is about as good as can be expected from this type of outfit. I quite agree with your idea that the contract be made with a seven-year lease instead of an outright sale. So I would suggest that you go right along with these negotiations…"

The "Stride Toward Freedom" film rights offer had been extended by Educational Communications Corporation (E.C.C.), a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1958, the E.C.C. championed platforms including social justice, peace, the arts, and the environment through the creation of Oscar-nominated films, newspaper columns, and school programming. The non-profit status of the E.C.C. is undoubtedly what King was referring to when he wrote that the lackluster offer "was as good as can be expected from this type of outfit."

The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center Repository at the Boston University Archives holds the original correspondence between King, his literary agent, and various business contacts, allowing us to reconstruct the timeline leading up to the King/E.C.C. film deal for "Stride Toward Freedom." On February 2, 1961, the E.C.C. had contacted King directly to inquire about acquiring film rights to "Stride Toward Freedom." King had replied to Altina B. Carey, one of the five E.C.C. co-founders, about two weeks later, on February 15, 1961. King's agent Marie Rodell wrote to him on February 23, 1961 - as mentioned by King in this March 6, 1961 letter - summarizing E.C.C.'s offer and her opinion of it. The King/E.C.C. was deal was finalized in late March 1961, according to one source. Correspondence exchanged between King, Rodell, and the E.C.C. preserved within the Repository shows that it continued until at least October 1961.

There are some interesting coincidences of date worth mentioning. First, just the day after this letter, on March 7, 1961, King and other Black community leaders announced a deal reached with the city of Atlanta regarding the desegregation of public spaces by Fall 1961. Second, the seven-year contract with E.C.C. agreed to by King would have lapsed right around the time of his assassination, in April 1968.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"
  • Medium: TLS

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