Tony Bennett | Martin Luther King, Jr. Typed Letter Signed On Selma March

A typed letter signed with autograph postscript, one page, on Martin Luther King, Jr. personal stationery, dated April 5, 1965, mounted to a white cardboard backing. Together with original transmittal envelope with printed return address for Martin Luther King, Jr. 332 Auburn Avenue, N. E. Atlanta Georgia, printed on verso. The envelope is addressed to Mr. Tony Bennett at his Englewood, New Jersey home and it is postmarked April 12, 1965 from Atlanta, Georgia.

The letter is addressed to "Mr. Bennett" and reads, "The march from Selma to Montgomery was 50 miles. It was a long walk, but it is a symbol that those who have suffered deprivation and brutality can make their voices heard and that freedom will one day be not a cry in the dark, but a living, breathing proclamation that we have overcome, and that a whole nation has turned to a new course.

My good friend, Harry Belafonte, told me of the difficulty you had in rearranging your schedule so that you could perform at the rally.

I speak for myself and for the courageous 300 marchers and all the other people who came to St. Jude's to be spurred on to those final miles to the capitol in Montgomery. Your talent and good will were not only heard by those thousands of ears, but were felt in those thousands of hearts, and I give my deepest thanks and appreciation to you.

With warmest good wishes, Martin."

Autograph postscript in blue ink reads, "P.S. It was really good seeing you / in Montgomery! S.C.L.C. could / not make it without friends like you / and neither could I. I hope / our paths will cross again soon."

This letter was written eleven days after King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators to the steps of the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama after a 54 mile march from Selma, Alabama that took five days. Bennett, along with Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne entertained the crowds who camped in the yards of supporters during their historic journey. Four months and one day after this letter was written, King was in attendance as President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King noted in his address to the SCLC days after the signing that "Montgomery led to the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960s; Birmingham inspired the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and Selma produced the voting rights legislation of 1965" (King, August 11, 1965).

This letter perfectly demonstrates the eloquence and warmth of King and his friendship with Bennett during a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement.

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