Statement Delivered at Freedom Riders Rally at First Baptist Church
Author: King, Martin Luther, Jr.
Date: May 21, 1961?
Location: Montgomery, Ala.
Genre: Speech
Topic: Freedom Rides
Details
As a menacing mob swells outside Abernathy’s church, King encourages supporters inside to remain calm, observing that “maybe it takes something like this for the federal government to see that Alabama is not going to place any limit upon itself. It must be imposed from without.” After supporters were trapped in the church for more than six hours, federal marshals used tear gas to disperse the mob.1 The following transcript is taken from an audio recording.
[King]: Now, we’ve had an ugly mob outside. They have injured some of the federal marshals. They, they’ve burned some automobiles [Audience:] (Will justice come?), but we, we are not … we are not giving in for what we are standing for. And maybe it takes something like this (That’s right) for the federal government to see (Yeah) that Alabama is not going to place any limit upon itself. It must be imposed from without. [gap in tape]
[Unknown voice]: [words inaudible], come on up here. Will you come up here please. Thank you. [gap in tape]
[King]: The first thing that we must do here tonight is to decide that we aren’t going to become panicky (That’s right, First thing), that we’re going to be calm, and that we are going to continue to stand up for what we know is right (Yes), and that Alabama will have to face the fact that we are determined to be free. (Amen, Yes sir, Yes) The main thing I want to say to you is fear not. (That’s right) We’ve gone too far to turn back. (That’s right, Yeah) Let us be calm, we are together, we are not afraid (Amen), and we shall overcome. (That’s right) So just remain calm. [speaker interrupted by disturbance] [recording interrupted]
1. “Montgomery under Martial Law; Troops Called After New Riot; Marshals and Police Fight Mob,” New York Times, 22 May 1961. Newspaper reports indicated that King remained in contact with Attorney General Kennedy throughout the siege (“Negroes Leave Church after Long Stay,” Montgomery Advertiser, 23 May 1961). Kennedy sent federal marshals to Montgomery on 20 May after Alabama governor John Patterson refused to ensure the safety of the bus riders (Bob Ingram, “Patterson Vows Arrest for Integration Testers,” Montgomery Advertiser, 18 May 1961). In a telegram to President Kennedy, Patterson stressed that the federal government was not wanted in Alabama: “We have not asked federal marshals to help us, and we do not need their help. We do not want their help and in fact we do not want them here in Alabama.” The governor then demanded that the President rescind the order for federal marshals as “Alabama is perfectly able to enforce all state laws” (Patterson to Kennedy, 21 May 1961). Faced with the possibility that the U.S. Army would be sent to Montgomery, Patterson declared Montgomery under martial law and instructed the National Guard to restore order throughout the city (“Rampaging Mob Stirs Governor into Action,” Montgomery Advertiser, 22 May 1961).
Source: MMFR-INP, Montgomery to Memphis Film Research Files.