"I've Been to the Mountaintop" past Dr. Martin Luther Rex, Jr.

MLK at Mason Temple, April 3, 1968Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered this speech in back up of the hitting sanitation workers at Mason Temple in Memphis, TN on April 3, 1968 — the day earlier he was assassinated. License to reproduce this spoken communication granted by Intellectual Backdrop Management, 1579-F Monroe Drive, Suite 235, Atlanta, Georgia 30324, as manager for the Male monarch Estate. Write to IPM re: copyright permission for use of words and images of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction and and then thought well-nigh myself, I wondered who he was talking about. It's ever good to take your closest friend and associate say something proficient about yous. And Ralph is the best friend that I accept in the earth.

I'grand delighted to meet each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that y'all are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world.

As you know, if I were standing at the offset of time, with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole human history up to now, and the Omnipotent said to me, "Martin Luther Rex, which historic period would y'all similar to alive in?" — I would accept my mental flight by Egypt through, or rather beyond the Blood-red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't end there. I would movement on by Hellenic republic, and accept my heed to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon equally they discussed the groovy and eternal issues of reality.

But I wouldn't end at that place. I would get on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would encounter developments effectually there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn't stop there. I would fifty-fifty come to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of man. Simply I wouldn't end there. I would even go by the fashion that the man for whom I'm named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther every bit he tacked his ninety-v theses on the door at the church building in Wittenberg.

Simply I wouldn't stop there. I would come on upward even to 1863, and watch a vacillating president by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the determination that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up up to the early thirties, and run into a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent weep that we accept null to fear only fear itself.

Just I wouldn't stop there. Strangely plenty, I would plough to the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I volition exist happy." Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed upwards. The nation is ill. Problem is in the land. Confusion all around. That'southward a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that but when information technology is dark enough, tin you lot come across the stars. And I see God working in this menstruum of the twentieth century in a away that men, in some strange way, are responding — something is happening in our earth. The masses of people are rise up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, S Africa; Nairobi, Republic of kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is always the aforementioned — "We want to be free."

And another reason that I'm happy to live in this catamenia is that nosotros accept been forced to a point where we're going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demand didn't force them to practice it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years at present, accept been talking about war and peace. Only at present, no longer tin can they merely talk almost it. Information technology is no longer a option between violence and nonviolence in this world; information technology's nonviolence or nonexistence.

That is where we are today. And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn't washed, and in a bustle, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole earth is doomed. At present, I'thousand just happy that God has allowed me to alive in this period, to see what is unfolding. And I'm happy that He's allowed me to be in Memphis.

I tin can remember, I can call up when Negroes were just going around equally Ralph has said, so often, scratching where they didn't itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. Merely that day is all over. We hateful business organisation at present, and we are adamant to gain our rightful place in God's world.

And that'south all this whole thing is nearly. We aren't engaged in whatever negative protest and in any negative arguments with everyone. We are saying that we are adamant to exist men. We are adamant to be people. We are proverb that we are God'south children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live.

Now, what does all of this mean in this great catamenia of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the menses of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves gather, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let the states maintain unity.

Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The effect is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to exist sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You lot know what happened the other mean solar day, and the press dealt simply with the window-breaking. I read the manufactures. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not beingness fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a medico. They didn't get around to that.

Now nosotros're going to march once again, and nosotros've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God'southward children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come up out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: we know information technology's coming out. For when people become caught up with that which is right and they are willing to cede for it, there is no stopping betoken short of victory.

Nosotros aren't going to allow any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent motility in disarming law forces; they don't know what to do, I've seen them and so oftentimes. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when nosotros were in that majestic struggle there nosotros would movement out of the 16th Street Baptist Church building day later on mean solar day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to transport the dogs forth and they did come; but we just went earlier the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna allow nobody turn me round." Balderdash Connor next would say, "Plough the fire hoses on." And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn't know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn't relate to the transphysics that we knew well-nigh. And that was the fact that there was a sure kind of fire that no water could put out. And we went before the burn down hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or some other denomination, we had been immersed. If nosotros were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew h2o.

That couldn't stop u.s.. And we but went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we'd keep earlier the water hoses and we would expect at it, and we'd just go along singing "Over my head I see freedom in the air." And and so nosotros would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in in that location similar sardines in a tin. And they would throw us in, and former Bull would say, "Take them off," and they did; and we would but become in the paddy wagon singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every now and then we'd get in the jail, and nosotros'd see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power in that location which Bull Connor couldn't adapt to; and and so nosotros ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.

Now we've got to go on to Memphis merely similar that. I phone call upon yous to be with united states Monday. Now about injunctions: Nosotros have an injunction and nosotros're going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, "Exist truthful to what yous said on paper." If I lived in Prc or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, perhaps I could sympathize the denial of sure basic First Amendment privileges, considering they hadn't committed themselves to that over in that location. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of spoken language. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the printing. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so simply as I say, nosotros aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. Nosotros are going on.

Nosotros need all of you lot. And you know what's beautiful tome, is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It's a marvelous moving-picture show. Who is it that is supposed to clear the longings and aspirations of the people more than than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and say, "Let justice coil down similar waters and righteousness similar a mighty stream." Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath all-powerful me to bargain with the issues of the poor."

And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, ane who has been in this struggle for many years; he's been to jail for struggling; but he's still going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Rev. Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could merely get right on down the listing, but time will not permit. But I want to thank them all. And I want you to thank them, because and then oftentimes, preachers aren't concerned about anything merely themselves. And I'yard always happy to see a relevant ministry.

It'south all right to talk nearly "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. Only ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to vesture downward here. Information technology's all right to talk virtually "streets flowing with milk and dear," but God has allowable united states to exist concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three foursquare meals a solar day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, merely one twenty-four hours, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to practice.

At present the other thing we'll have to do is this: Always anchor our external direct activeness with the ability of economical withdrawal. Now, we are poor people, individually, we are poor when you lot compare usa with white order in America. Nosotros are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively nosotros are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever recall most that? After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, Neat Britain, West Federal republic of germany, France, and I could proper noun the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the earth. We accept an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the Us, and more than than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That's ability right there, if nosotros know how to pool it.

Nosotros don't accept to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. Nosotros don't need any bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails, nosotros simply demand to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our state, and say, "God sent u.s.a. by here, to say to y'all that you lot're not treating his children right. And nosotros've come up by hither to ask you to make the start item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do accept an agenda that nosotros must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic back up from you."

And so, as a result of this, we are asking you lot this night, to become out and tell your neighbors non to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to purchase Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other bread?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread visitor, Jesse? Tell them non to purchase Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to at present, but the garbage men have been feeling pain; at present we must kind of redistribute the pain. Nosotros are choosing these companies considering they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they tin can brainstorm the process of maxim, they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And and so they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to exercise what is right.

But not only that, we've got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your coin in Tri-State Bank—we desire a "bank-in" movement in Memphis. So become by the savings and loan association. I'm non request you lot something we don't practise ourselves at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you lot that we have an business relationship here in the savings and loan clan from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We're merely telling you to follow what we're doing. Put your money in that location. You have six or seven black insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance at that place. We want to have an "insurance-in."

Now these are some practical things we tin exercise. We brainstorm the process of building a greater economical base. And at the same fourth dimension, nosotros are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here.

Now, let me say equally I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would exist more tragic than to stop at this indicate, in Memphis. We've got to see it through. And when we accept our march, y'all demand to be there. Be concerned almost your brother. Yous may non be on strike. But either we become up together, or we go down together.

Let u.s.a. develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a human came to Jesus; and he wanted to heighten some questions nigh some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to play a trick on Jesus, and bear witness him that he knew a piddling more Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base. At present that question could take hands ended up in a philosophical and theological argue. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve betwixt Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who roughshod among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn't cease to assistance him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his creature, decided not to be empathetic by proxy. Simply with him, administering commencement aid, and helped the man in demand. Jesus concluded up saying, this was the expert man, this was the slap-up man, because he had the chapters to project the "I" into the "one thousand," and to be concerned about his brother. Now you know, nosotros employ our imagination a bang-up deal to try to make up one's mind why the priest and the Levite didn't stop. At times we say they were busy going to church meetings—an ecclesiastical gathering—and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn't be belatedly for their coming together. At other times we would speculate that in that location was a religious law that "One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-4 hours before the anniversary." And every now and and then nosotros brainstorm to wonder whether peradventure they were not going downwards to Jerusalem, or downwardly to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Route Improvement Association." That's a possibility. Possibly they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged downwardly with an private effort.

Merely I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. Information technology's possible that these men were afraid. You lot see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were commencement in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem downward to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I tin can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 anxiety above bounding main level. And by the time you lot get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to exist known equally the "Encarmine Pass." And you know, it'south possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the basis and wondered if the robbers were nonetheless around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and like shooting fish in a barrel seizure. And and then the get-go question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to aid this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Skilful Samaritan came past. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

That's the question before you this night. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I normally spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I terminate to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" "If I do non stop to help the sanitation workers, what volition happen to them?" That's the question.

Permit u.s. ascension up tonight with a greater readiness. Let u.s.a. stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of claiming to brand America what information technology ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be hither with you.

You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first volume that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther Rex?"

And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the side by side minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that bract had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, you drown in your own blood—that's the end of you.

It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, almost four days later, they allowed me, after the functioning, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to movement around in the bike chair in the infirmary. They allowed me to read some of the post that came in, and from all over the states, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received ane from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a alphabetic character from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what the alphabetic character said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a immature girl who was a student at the White Plains Loftier Schoolhouse. And I looked at that alphabetic character, and I'll never forget it. Information technology said just, "Beloved Dr. King: I am a ninth-class student at the White Plains High School." She said, "While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I am a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if y'all had sneezed, you would take died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm and then happy that you didn't sneeze."

And I desire to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the S started sitting-in at dejeuner counters. And I knew that every bit they were sitting in, they were really continuing upwards for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation dorsum to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Annunciation of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't accept been around in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs upward, they are going somewhere, because a human being can't ride your dorsum unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into beingness the Civil Rights Pecker. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in Baronial, to try to tell America most a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't accept been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the community rally effectually those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze.

And they were telling me, now it doesn't thing now. Information technology really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the airplane, there were six of the states, the pilot said over the public address arrangement, "We are sorry for the delay, but we take Dr. Martin Luther Male monarch on the aeroplane. And to be sure that all of the numberless were checked, and to be certain that nothing would exist wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the airplane protected and guarded all night."

And and then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk nigh the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some hard days ahead. Merely it doesn't matter with me at present. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to alive a long life. Longevity has its place. Only I'g not concerned about that now. I just desire to do God's will. And He'due south allowed me to go up to the mount. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised country. I may not go there with y'all. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'g happy, tonight. I'm not worried about annihilation. I'k not fearing whatsoever man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.