Stanford
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute

From Jim Zwerg

Author: Zwerg, Jim

Date: July 9, 1961

Location: Appleton, Wis.

Genre: Letter

Topic: Freedom Rides

Details

Zwerg, a Nashville Movement freedom rider severely beaten by a mob in Montgomery on 20 May, thanks King for forwarding a donation sent on behalf of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco.1 King was impressed by Zwerg’s “deep commitment to the cause of freedom” after he donated most of the money to the Nashville Christian Leadership Council (NCLC).2

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
208 Auburn Ave., N.E.
Atlanta 3, Georgia

Dear Dr. King:

Thank you for forwarding the letter and check from St. Mark’s congregation in San Francisco.

I was very grateful for their Christian concern, but since my suit is still serviceable after drycleaning and repairs, it seemed only right to me to pass their generosity along to those still involved in this great effort. I hope both you and they will be pleased to know that I have kept only $10.00 of their gift for personal use and have forwarded the remaining $50.00 to the N.C.L.C.

Sincerely,
[signed] James W. Zwerg

1. Don Martin, “U.S. Official Is Knocked Unconscious,” Washington Post, 21 May 1961. The church sent Zwerg $60 to buy a new suit after his was damaged when segregationists attacked him on 20 May 1961 in Montgomery, Alabama (King and Walker to Zwerg, 28 June 1961). James William Zwerg (1939– ) was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and graduated from nearby Beloit College in 1962. In his junior year, Zwerg studied at Fisk University in Nashville as an exchange student and became involved in local dem­onstrations. In September 1961 Zwerg earned a “Freedom Award” from SCLC for his heroism during the Freedom Rides (SCLC, Certificate of Merit for Jim Zwerg, 27 September 1961). At King’s urging, Zwerg followed his calling to be a minister and enrolled at Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He was ordained in the United Church of Christ. After serving ten years in the ministry, Zwerg worked at IBM as a manager until he retired in 1999.

2. King to Zwerg, 24 July 1961.

Source: MLKP-MBU, Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers, 1954–1968, Boston University, Boston, Mass.