Rare and early program from the 40th Anniversary of the Utility Club, Inc., honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., as their Man of the Year, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on June 15, 1957, 8.5 x 10.5, signed on the first inside page in blue ballpoint, “M. L. King, Jr.,” and also signed (with some ink skipping) by founder and long-time president of the Piney Woods Country Life School, Laurence C. Jones. Accompanied by a seating list booklet and a note regarding gratuity, as well as a letter of authenticity from James Spence. Some mild toning to covers, light diagonal bend to top right corners of pages, and mild handling wear, otherwise fine condition.
The Utility Club was a black woman’s organization created to help African American communities in New York City. Their decision to honor Dr. King for his ongoing activism in the civil rights movement came as little surprise, as he had already established himself a leader in the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, and in January 1957 had started the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization. Two days before traveling to New York, King met with then-Vice President Richard Nixon to discuss the extent of the extreme racial violence in southern states. Amazingly, southern political leaders in the House and Senate had expressed concern that Nixon’s meeting with King—and a report to Eisenhower on the tensions—would bolster support for the civil rights movement. Jones’ signature is a fitting addition as he had been influential through his lifetime in educating black Americans in the segregated southern states. An early signature from one of the 20th century’s most influential figures. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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