This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/26/2020
There’s an adage used with signed letters that says “Content is King”. Offered here is a remarkable letter from Martin Luther King Jr. himself, and the content within this letter could not be more significant or poignant. Dr. King accomplishes this letter on a single 8.5” x 11” sheet of Southern Christian Leadership Conference letterhead, dated September 23, 1964. Penned less than a month after his historic March on Washington where he gave the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, King responds to a letter received from a supporter in New York City. After briefly apologizing for his delayed response, King pens a response with phenomenal content, which reads in part, “Our struggle is often difficult and the moments are often frustrating, but we gain new courage to carry on when we realize that persons of good will, such as you, are supporting us in the background. Although the days are now dark, I am convinced that we stand on the threshold of our nation's bright tomorrows. I, too wept, during the March on Washington. I truly dream that one day we may all be judged by the content of our character and not by the color of our skin.” The letter is concluded with a beautiful blue ballpoint pen signature, “Martin Luther King, Jr.” While there are many wonderful letters from Dr. King with great references to the fight for civil rights, we have yet to find another letter in our extensive research that makes direct reference to the March of Washington and that specifically paraphrases the “I Have a Dream” speech, as King does in the concluding line of this letter. To say this letter is impressive is an understatement. It is a document of historic magnitude, deserving of a home in a museum or a collection of prominence. Very well preserved with expected fold lines from the letter’s initial mailing, otherwise very fine. Accompanied by a full Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA.