MLK's Private Papers Displayed in Atlanta

Jan. 15, 2007 — -- For the first time, the public has access to thousands of Martin Luther King Jr.'s personal papers, diaries, handwritten speeches and even a journal he kept while he was in jail.

King's personal papers are on display at an exhibit that opened today at the Atlanta History Center on what would have been the slain civil rights leader's 78th birthday.

The collection includes more than 10,000 artificats, from college exams and books to handwritten sermons, that show King's private thoughts and how the civil rights movement developed.

"These documents are priceless and they represent a legacy for…not only the American people, for people throughout the world," said curator Elizabeth Muller.

Also included are handwritten notes for King's "I Have a Dream" speech, a speech that he delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1963 that has echoed through generations.

"You see his ideas evolving as they did as he put pen to paper. It's a powerful experience," Muller added.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin was in the nation's capital during King's "I Have a Dream" speech, which explains in part why she mobilized a stunning last-minute fundraising effort to purchase the entire collection of King papers and halt an auction of the collection.

She described the impact of seeing these items, and said to see his handwriting is a way to understand the power "not just of the words but of the process, the power that one man can have through hard work and thoughtfulness," Franklin said.

Could Have Been Auctioned at Sotheby's

The vast King collection was slated for auction at Sotheby's, but that was stopped by a last-minute fundraising effort by the Atlanta mayor.

"I would just pick up the phone and say, 'This is Shirley, thanks for taking my call,'" Franklin said. "Most of the commitments were made by phone in 10 or 15 minutes…we probably did not make more than 50 calls."

She was concerned that without her effort the collection would just disappear from the public.

"I mean, there is no way to know where the papers would have ended up," Franklin said. "They could have been in a private collection, not available for public view…We raised $32 million in a little less than two weeks."

In an unusual move, Sotheby's agreed to halt the auction.

"One of my selling points was that if it went to auction, it might not stay in the United States," Franklin explained. "The thought of that really helped me raise the money."

'Powerful Experience'

The collection, which includes one of King's college report cards and his C grade in public speaking, will give the public a rare and comprehensive glimpse into King's life and works.

The collection also contains a rejection letter from a school stating that King's son could not attend because he was black.

"You will also see a handwritten version of the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance letter, and you will see notes for the Birmingham jail letters," Franklin said. "But there are also sermons that have never been published that are completely handwritten…It is a very powerful experience, and we think our visitors will enjoy it."

The exhibit will run through May 13. After that, the artifacts will reside at the Atlanta University Center, where it will be available to students and scholars.

Admission was free on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and on the first weekend of every month and every Monday.