Item #CAT0103 Service of Commemoration: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Interreligious Committee on Race Relations.
[Civil Rights Movement] King, Dr. Martin Luther; [Interreligious Committee on Race Relations]

Service of Commemoration: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Washington, D.C. 1970. [3] pp. stapled mimeograph program for a service commemorating King’s birthday at The Washington Cathedral, January 15, 1970. Stapled together with a [1] pp. letter from Bishop Henry C. Bunton to the Interreligious Committee on Race Relations (ICRR) notifying members of the event, and including a [1] pp. copy of the minutes from the ICRR board meeting on January 7, 1970, at which the details were agreed upon, and a [1] pp. announcement for the event. Program worn at corners, two bent; letters originally folded, creases beginning to split. Overall good. Item #CAT0103

The first observance of King’s birthday was sponsored by the newly created King Memorial Center in Atlanta in 1969, only eight months after his death. In its “Making of the King Holiday” chronology, the Center describes this service as “the model for subsequent annual commemorations of Dr. King’s birthday nationwide, setting the tone of celebration of Dr. King’s life, education in his teachings and nonviolent action to carry forward his unfinished work.”

Scarce documentation exists for this event, the second observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday following his assassination. The Interreligious Committee on Race Relations (ICRR) organized the event. The ICRR was established in June 1963 by leaders from Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish congregations in Washington, D.C.. One of its first goals was to support the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which was then being debated in Congress. Its larger mission was to end racial discrimination, particularly in public housing and employment, and to foster communication between black and white communities in D.C.

Few other early commemorations are documented; this mimeographed program and the ICRR meeting minutes reveal the significant evolution of the idea of a public holiday to celebrate King’s life. Speakers at The Washington Cathedral included Mayor Walter E. Washington and the civil rights leaders Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy and Bishop Henry C. Bunton. The ceremony also incorporated King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. A press release indicates how businesses, schools, and the D.C. government were already working together to initiate commemorative programs and “follow a liberal leave policy” for employees wishing to take the day off. The characteristic interfaith and interracial community celebrations and “teach-ins” that we know today were already essential components of commemoration for King in 1970. This program took place thirteen years before the federal holiday was finally signed into law.

[3] pp. stapled mimeograph program for a service commemorating King’s birthday at The Washington Cathedral, January 15, 1970. Stapled together with a [1] pp. letter from Bishop Henry C. Bunton to the Interreligious Committee on Race Relations (ICRR) notifying members of the event, and including a [1] pp. copy of the minutes from the ICRR board meeting on January 7, 1970, at which the details were agreed upon, and a [1] pp. announcement for the event. Program worn at corners, two bent; letters originally folded, creases beginning to split. Overall good.

Price: $1,200.00