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October 30, 1967

On October 30, 1967, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) released this statement by its president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as he traveled from Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama to serve a short jail sentence. King’s sentence stemmed from his arrest for breaking a state injunction against the protest activities King and his colleagues led in April 1963 against Birmingham’s strict segregation laws. King and seven other ministers fought their convictions in court, arguing that the injunction violated their First Amendment rights. The case was ultimately appealed to the United States Supreme Court, who ruled 5-4 in June 1967 against the protestors, stating that they did not have the right to break the injunction before fighting it legally. The offenses were misdemeanors and thus not extraditable, but King and the other convicted ministers living outside of Birmingham turned themselves in willingly after losing their final appeal, believing that civil disobedience required accepting legal consequences.
In this statement, King asserts the success of the Birmingham campaign and its contribution to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He explains why he believes the Supreme Court ruling upholding the jail sentence and fine imposed upon him and other protest leaders is unjust. He cites the opinions of the dissenting Supreme Court justices to argue that injunctions against protestors are unconstitutional. As such, King argues that it was Alabama officials and the majority Supreme Court justices who demonstrated disrespect for the law, not the protestors. Finally, he issues a warning to his fellow Americans not to let the federal government infringe upon their constitutional rights.
The typed and mimeographed statement is from the estate of Tom Offenburger, spokesman for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), who was responsible for distributing King's statements to the press. It was likely produced by Offenburger from King's handwritten notes.

Mimeographed copy of the statement made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he and other civil rights leaders returned to Birmingham, Alabama on October 30, 1967 to serve jail time and pay fines for protests they led in that city in April 1963. The statement consists of four single-sided pages originally stapled together. All text is typed, left justified, and double spaced with the exception of the heading on page one. The first page consists of a heading, date, and beginning paragraphs of the statement. The heading reads [Statement by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. / President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference / Atlanta, Georgia]. The page numbers for pages two through four are located at top center. The statement ends with a short line of pound symbols, centered.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Documents and Manuscripts

Civil Rights Movement

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2024.110.1a-d

mimeograph copies

© Estate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

ink on paper

H x W (each page): 11 × 8 1/2 in. (27.9 × 21.6 cm)

Object Name • Statement by Martin Luther King, Jr. on reporting to jail in Alabama

nmaahc_2024.110.1a-d

NMAAHC

STATEMENT BY MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ON REPORTING TO JAIL IN ALABAMA

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

1960s

Hayes, J. W. • King, Martin Luther • Fisher, T. L. • Southern Christian Leadership Conference • Connor, Bull • Abernathy, Ralph David • Warren, Earl • King, A.D. • Douglas, William Orville • Shuttlesworth, Fred • Porter, John • Offenburger, Thomas Edward • Walker, Wyatt Tee • Brennan, William J.

United States • Atlanta • Jefferson County • North and Central America • Fulton County • Georgia • Alabama • Birmingham

Justice • Activism • Police brutality • Law • Social reform • Government • Segregation • Civil Rights • Resistance • American South • Discrimination • Religious leaders • Race • Civil rights • Race relations

City • Birmingham • County • Jefferson County • State • Alabama • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • Atlanta • County • Fulton County • State • Georgia

Use Restricted