Description:

King Martin

Rare SCLC Program, One of the Most Important Conventions of the Civil Rights Movement

 

[Martin Luther King, Jr.] Program from Southern Christian Leadership Conference, August 14-17, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee. Eleventh Annual Convention. 12 pp., 5.5" x 8.5".

 

In August 1968, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) convened in Memphis, Tennessee, for the first time without its founding president Martin Luther King, Jr. He had been assassinated just over four months earlier in Memphis. By selecting Memphis as the site of their annual convention, the leadership of the SCLC boldly proclaimed that the movement would outlive its founder.

 

The four-day program included a keynote address by Rev. Andrew J. Young, musical solos by Aretha Franklin, and an address by Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King, Jr. On Friday evening after SCLC president Dr. Ralph David Abernathy presented his address at the Mason Temple, the convention closed the evening by singing the anthem of the Civil Rights movement, “We Shall Overcome.”

 

Excerpts

 

“Message from the President / By Dr. Ralph David Abernathy”

 

“This Eleventh Annual Convention is the most serious and crucial one in the history of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Just one year ago in Atlanta, as we celebrated ten years of successful struggle, our Founding President, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., envisioned a new challenge.... Now we are in the midst of that great movement conceived and planned by Dr. King and SCLC. But our leader is gone, assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.”

 

“We need only remember our original goal in SCLC—to redeem the soul of America—to know that we must try and we must not fail.”

 

“Finally, may I say that in selecting the City of Memphis, where Dr. King was taken away, we have expressed to all people, our supporters and our enemies, that we will never give up in our crusade.”

 

“Statement of Purpose / William A. Rutherford / Executive Director”

 

“We have lost our founding President, our great spiritual guide and leader; the forces of right-wing reaction are again boldly wielding oppressive power in the country; the tactical use of non-violence as a tool for peaceful social change is being seriously challenged and attacked from many sides.”

 

At the suggestion of Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther King, Jr. had invited sixty black ministers and leaders to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, in January 1957. A follow-up meeting a month later in New Orleans led to the organization of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to coordinate and support nonviolent direct action against all forms of segregation. The SCLC existed as a group of affiliated individual churches and community organizations that worked together for African American civil rights.

 

In 1968, the SCLC and Martin Luther King, Jr. organized the “Poor People’s Campaign” to address issues of economic justice. They called on Congress to invest in rebuilding America’s cities. On March 29, 1968, King went to Memphis, Tennessee, to support African American sanitation workers who were striking for higher wages and better treatment. On April 3, King addressed a rally at Mason Temple, the international headquarters of the African American denomination Church of God in Christ. There he delivered his famed “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. The next evening at 6:01 p.m., James Earl Ray fatally shot the 39-year-old King, as he stood on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

 

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.

 

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

February 26, 2020 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000