To John F. Kennedy
Author: King, Martin Luther, Jr.
Date: August 31, 1962
Location: Albany, Ga.
Genre: Letter
Topic: Albany Movement
Details
Following the arrest of seventy-five clergy and lay leaders in Albany, Georgia, on 28 August, King asks President Kennedy to appeal to the nation to safeguard the civil rights of millions of blacks and mediate negotiations between Albany city officials and leaders of the Albany Movement.1 Responding on behalf of the president on 2 September 1962, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy reiterated the administration’s dedication to defend the “rights of all Americans” regardless of “race color or creed.”2 He also reminded King that the desegregation of Albany is currently under judicial review in the federal courts.3
the president
the white house
dear mr. president. fifteen protestant and jewish religious leaders from among the seventy five unjustly arrested tuesday, august 28, remain in jail and are continuing the fast begun at the time of arrest in hopes that they will arouse the conscience of this nation to the gross violations of human dignity and civil rights, which are the rule in albany and surrounding counties.4 it is my hope that you will as president of these united states #1 appeal to the nation to uphold the moral ideals and democratic principles which are now being threatened by the continued deprival of rights to eighteen million citizens in our nation through the covert segregation of the south and the covert patterns of discrimination of the north5 #2 serve as mediator in the present conflict in albany georgia by inviting members of the albany city commission and the albany movement to washington for discussions of this situation.
sincerely yours
dr. martin luther king jr.
1. At King’s behest, seventy-five protesters mainly from northern and midwestern states descended upon Albany, Georgia, to aid desegregation efforts (King to Ralph Lord Roy, 22 August 1962, pp. 602–604 in this volume). On 28 August, the group was arrested as they staged a prayer vigil in front of Albany City Hall (Claude Sitton, “Albany, Ga., Jails 75 in Prayer Vigil,” New York Times, 29 August 1962). King had previously petitioned President Kennedy to intervene and moderate discussions between the city officials and movement leaders on 9 August (Frank Hunt, “Dr. King Urges JFK to Mediate Ga. Crisis,” Baltimore Afro-American, 11 August 1962).
2. Joining King in his appeal to Kennedy, eight of the imprisoned clergy penned an open letter asking the president to intervene in Albany, and to “speak out clearly reminding our Nation and the world that America is firmly opposed to racial discrimination and segregation.” The clergy also argued that “we are all agreed, Catholic, Jew and Protestant, that God wills the end of all racial discrimination and segregation in His world” (“Clerics in Albany Jail Urge Kennedy to Help,” Washington Post, 3 September 1962). On 8 August, the Justice Department filed an amicus curiae brief in the District Court of Albany, opposing the request by Albany city officials for a court order barring demonstrations (“Justice Department Enters Albany Dispute,” Washington Post, 9 August 1962).
3. Kennedy was likely referring to the four civil cases on the constitutionality of segregation in Albany and the rights of citizens to protest. For more on the cases, see note 6 of King’s testimony of 8 August (pp. 570–571 in this volume).
4. Prior to the demonstration, the participants had voted to stage a fast for the first twenty-four hours of their confinement should they be arrested (William Hannah, “Albany Jails 50 Ministers from North,” Atlanta Constitution, 29 August 1962). Most of the seventy-five protesters jailed made bail within twenty-four to forty-eight hours after their arrest. Eighteen protesters, many of whom refused food for the duration of their detention, remained in jail for six days (Robert E. Jones, “Ministers in Jail: Prayer Pilgrimage Proved to Negroes ‘They Are Not Alone,’” Boston Globe, 11 September 1962).
5. After the arrest of the protesters, King said that President Kennedy would need to act toward ending segregation if he wanted to maintain the black vote: “Mr. Kennedy will have to do a great deal to implement his campaign promises in order to hold the support he received from Negro voters in the last election.” King also addressed the possibility that blacks may support Republican New York governor Nelson Rockefeller if he decided to run for president: “Rockefeller certainly has taken a stand and if he continues and if he implements this (desegregation) in our state, then we will be greatly impressed” (Hannah, “Albany Jails 50 Ministers from North,” 29 August 1962). In June 1961 Rockefeller introduced King when the civil rights leader spoke at Wilborn Temple First Church of God in Christ in Albany, New York (Rockefeller, Remarks at Wilborn Temple First Church of God in Christ, 16 June 1961; King, “The American Dream,” Address at Wilborn Temple First Church of God in Christ, 16 June 1961). After King missed his train from New York City to Albany, Rockefeller gave him a lift on his private plane and later drove King to the rally at Wilborn Temple First Church of God in Christ (“Governor Attends Rally with Dr. King,” New York Times, 17 June 1961).
Source: JFKWHCNF-MBJFK, John F. Kennedy Presidential Papers, White House Central Name Files, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, Mass.