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"Birth of a New Age" Martin Luther King Recording

An inventory of the item at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 17 Apr 2024



Biographical History

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was an American Christian minister, activist, and political philosopher, and an important figure in the American civil rights movement. The son of civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr., King helped advance civil rights for people of color in the United States through practicing, encouraging, and teaching nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination. He led or was involved in a number of significant civil rights events, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955), the March on Washingon (1963), and two marches from Selma to Montgomery. He was the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization based on Atlanta, Georgia. In 1964 King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was 39 years old.


Scope and Contents of the Collection

The "Birth of a New Age" Martin Luther King Recording consists of a single phonodisc containing the recording of a speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King on August 7, 1956. King gave a speech with this title several times, including to the men of Alpha Phi Alpha in Buffalo, New York in 1956 and at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 1957. This recording is from a speech delivered to the National Negro Funeral Directors Association in August of 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio.

The recording, of which only a few pressings were made, was captured by local resident Carlton Stevens. Stevens' wife Beatrice and local librarian Carriebell Cook wrote the biography that appears on the jacket. The jacket was designed by local artist Sterling Hykes.


Arrangement of the Collection

Single item.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

This item has been digitized. Please contact the repository listed above for more information.

This recording was featured in several episodes of Soundbeat in March of 2024.


Subject Headings

Persons

King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968.

Corporate Bodies

National Negro Funeral Directors Association.

Subjects

African Americans -- United States.
Civil rights -- United States.
Civil rights workers.

Places

Cleveland (Ohio)

Genres and Forms

Phonograph records.
Sound recordings.
Speeches.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

"Birth of a New Age" Martin Luther King Recording,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Carol DiSalvo and Jim Meade.


Table of Contents

Speeches


Inventory

Note on alternate formats:

This item has been digitized. Please contact the repository listed above for more information.