Washington, DC
October 23, 2006

Mayor Franklin and the King Papers

Once in every while, someone comes along and is elected mayor and they rise to take action and make decisions that go beyond the ordinary duties for which they are elected. Such is the case of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, who stepped up to save and prevent the private collection of papers of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from being auctioned off at Sotheby’s and spread asunder throughout the world.

We need to pause and recognize Mayor Franklin for her vision and decisive bold action. We recognize her for not only taking the public political position that the King papers should be saved for her great city and our nation; we commend her also for raising a whopping $32 million from the business sector of Atlanta to bring the King papers home.

Press reports indicate that several years ago the personal writings of Dr. King were shipped from Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s basement to Sotheby’s auction house in New York City. Bringing the King papers home was difficult. For three years the papers, appraised at $30 million, were housed at Sotheby’s and almost immediately after the death of Mrs. King earlier this year Sotheby’s announced the papers would be auctioned off on the chopping block for $30 million.

No one knows the full story of what Franklin did. She will tell that story and we must hear it. The fact is that she did it. Days before the King papers would be sold at auction, Mayor Franklin led a group of civic and business to purchase the papers for $32 million.

There is no precise way we can measure the value of the King papers. Word is that Mrs. King did a masterful job in preserving all Dr. King’s writings. The three main handwritten pieces are his letter from the Birmingham jail, his handwritten world famous “I Have a Dream” speech and his handwritten speech he gave accepting the Nobel Peace Prize.

In addition to these iconic pieces of American and world history, there are 7,000 pages of documents including his theological writings and his annotated handwritten notes on writings and literature by and about Gandhi, another great non-violent leader in world history.

Observers of the political world and cities, along with the historians, will determine the significance of Mayor Franklin’s action and what her unusual leadership means for her city and our nation today and for centuries ahead.

As we look at the history of the nation, historians have pointed to the writings and written speeches of Americans; certainly in the 1700s during the Revolutionary War where the 13 colonies rose up against the King of England, the leadership of George Washington and the founders writings of the Declaration of Independence. Not too many years later during the mid 1800s, our Civil War brought President Lincoln and the Gettysburg address. The civil rights movement in mid 1900s was the beginning of non-violent political action to abolish our national and state government supported and endorsement of racism. The King documents will give all of us, here and abroad, the significance of the civil rights movement led by Dr. King.

Certainly most of us know about FDR’s “Day of Infamy” speech after Pearl Harbor and the JFK “Ask Not” inaugural speech. But what Mayor Franklin has done is more than saving some very famous speeches. She has managed to hold together the writings and thinking of a leader who opened our eyes to state and federally supported racism. And to many of us, it wasn’t that long ago. Because Mayor Franklin did what she did, we will be able to go to one place to see, read and learn more about ourselves. These papers will no doubt give us hope as we continue in the struggle to deal with the racism that was sponsored by state and federal governments since our country was formed.

Dr. King told us in Memphis the night before he was killed in Memphis that we had a way to go before we got to the mountain top. He prophetically said that night that he might not get there with us. Since he was taken from us in 1968, almost four decades ago, we have made progress. But we all know we’re not there yet. Mayor Franklin’s actions this year will help us, our children and grandchildren after us, understand the true meaning of the King dream speech, the real reason for the letter from the Birmingham jail. As he said, the truth will set us free and Mayor Franklin’s bold and decisive act as mayor gives us enormous respect for her and who she is and even more, it gives us respect and pride for the office of mayor and her action helps tell the story of what a mayor in any city can do and must do sometimes. Yes, it’s more than filling potholes. The social and political history of our nation is so intertwined with The U. S. Conference of Mayors and the leadership that springs forward. As we approach our 75th Anniversary, we need to understand that great buildings, arenas, bridges, housing and roads are all built for all us to see. But every once in a while a mayor stands up and she makes a difference. Thank you, Mayor Shirley Franklin. You make us proud!