The Life and Legacy of

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Resources at the SJRCC Libraries

PAL = Palatka Campus | OPC = Orange Park Campus | SAC = St. Augustine Campus

= BOOK | = DVD | = VHS |

Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, JR., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - Publisher's Marketing: " Winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, this is the most comprehensive book ever written about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on more than seven hundred interviews with all of King's surviving associates, as well as with those who opposed him, and enhanced by the author's access to King's personal papers and tens of thousands of pages of FBI documents, this is a towering portrait of a man's metamorphosis into a legend."

Call number: SAC - E185.97 .K5 G36 2004

These prohetic words, uttered the day before his assassination, challenged those he left behind to see that his "promised land" of racial equality became a reality; a reality to which King devoted the last twelve years of his life.

These words and other are commemorated here in the only major one-volume collection of this seminal twentieth-century American prophet's writings, speeches, interviews, and autobiographical reflections. "A Testament of Hope" contains Martin Luther King, Jr.'s essential thoughts on nonviolence, social policy, integration, black nationalism, the ethics of love and hope, and more."

Call number: SAC - E185.97.K5 A25 1991

Call number: PAL - E185.97.K5 A25 1991

Ring Out Freedom!: The Voice of Marthin Luther King, Jr. and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement - Publisher's Marketing: "Martin Luther King, Jr. was more than the civil rights movement's most visible figure, he was its voice. This book describes what went into the creation of that voice. It explores how King used words to define a movement. From a place situated between two cultures of American society. King shaped the language that gave the movement its identity and meaning. Fredrik Sunnemark shows how materialistic, idealistic, and religious ways of explaining the world coexisted in King's speeches and writings. He points out the roles of God, Jesus, the church, and "the Beloved Community" in King's rhetoric. Sunnemark examines King's use of allusions, his strategy of employing different meanings of key ideas to speak to different members of his audience, and the way he put into play international ideas and events to achieve certain rhetorical goals. The book concludes with an analysis of King's development after 1965, examining the roots, content, and consequences of his so-called radicalization."

Call number: SAC - E185.97 .K5 S866 2004

Call number: OPC - E185.97.K5 S866 2004

Partners to History: Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and the Civil Rights Movement - Publisher's Marketing: "Ralph David Abernathy and Martin Luther King Jr. were inseparable and together helped to establish what would become the modern American Civil Rights Movement. They preached, marched, and were frequently jailed together. Donzaleigh Abernathy, Ralph's youngest daughter, has written Partners to History as a testament to the courage, strength, and endurance of these men who stirred a nation with their moral fortitude. She also pays tribute to the thousands of unsung heroes--the other partners to this history--who were foot soldiers in the endless struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. This document captures in words and pictures how the dream of two visionaries changed the course of American history and inspired the world.
Partners to History is a unique look at a troubling time, and its usage of dramatic--and personal--photographs, combined with the voices of King and Abernathy, seamlessly conveys the fears, frustrations, and pain of the long days and nights spent planning the many crusades. Donzaleigh Abernathy's recollections provide personal insight from someone who lived through the tumult and witnessed firsthand the relationship of these lifelong friends. "People didn't know Daddy and Uncle Martin," she writes. "They know the legends. They don't know the fathers, the husbands, the men, the human beings. I feel obliged to tell the beautiful stories of these beautiful men I lived with and loved."
Chronicling the crucial events of the movement, from the early strategy sessions in the homes of integrationists and the Montgomery Bus Boycott to Birmingham, the Freedom Riders, and the March on Washington, the author provides a unique insider's perspective. With heart-wrenchingprecision, she lays bare the horrifying deaths of four little girls in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and follows the search for three murdered civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi. She goes behind the scenes to the intimate moments and reveals the determination of two families caught up in the fight for equal rights.
King and Abernathy believed in a cause and laid their lives on the line time and time again, knowing deep in their hearts that they were working not only for their people, but for the good of all humankind. When, on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Ralph David Abernathy vowed to persevere and continue their dream, knowing that people could not be free until the walls came tumbling down.
Inspirational and beautifully illustrated, Partners to History reveals the remarkable relationship between two great leaders and serves as a reminder and tribute to this tumultuous era."

Call number: PAL - E185.61 .A165 2003

Between Cross & Crescent: Christian and Muslim Perspectives on Malcolm and Martin - Publisher's Marketing: "The interconnections between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X -- their faith claims, their perspectives on culture, and their visions of an ideal society and world -- are brought to light by a Christian and a Muslim scholar."

Call number: PAL - BP222 .B35 2002

Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Martin Luther King Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the "Letters from Birmingham Jail" - Publisher's Marketing: "Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is arguably the most important written document of the civil rights protest era and a widely read modern literary classic. Personally addressed to eight white Birmingham clergymen who sought to avoid violence by publicly discouraging King's civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, the nationally published "Letter" captured the essence of the struggle for racial equality and provided a blistering critique of the gradualist approach to racial justice. It soon became part of American folklore, and the image of King penning his epistle from a prison cell remains among the most moving of the era. Yet as S. Jonathan Bass explains in the first comprehensive history of King's "Letter, " this image and the piece's literary appeal conceal a much more complex tale."

Call number: PAL - F334.B69 N415 2002

This book is an important resource for pastors, semnarians, and for those interested in African American history."

Call number: PAL - BV4208.U6 L375 2001

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. - Publisher's Marketing: "Using a vast body of documentary materials, noted scholar and editor Clayborne Carson creates a book that remarkably approximates a self-portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. Delving into all aspects of this man's life, the work covers his boyhood, his education as a minister, and his emergence as a leader in the Civil Rights movement. From his relationships with his wife and children, to his dealings with the important political figures of the era, this book defines the history of a genuine hero."

Call number: OPC - E185.97.K5 A52 1998

Killing the Dream:: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. - Publisher's Marketing: "After thirty years, Killing the Dream reexamines the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., based on new interviews, confidential files, and previously undisclosed evidence. Killing the Dream not only uncovers the errors of previous investigations - both private and governmental - but resolves the speculation about whether the FBI, CIA, or mafia was involved in the death of Dr. King. Killing the Dream untangles the case's leading puzzles. Was there a mysterious person called Raoul who directed James Earl Ray in the year leading up to the murder? Was the fatal shot fired from the bathroom window of a Memphis flophouse, or from a sniper's perch hidden in a densely overgrown garden across from King's motel? Did the military have a covert team of snipers in Memphis on the day King was killed? Has the recent confession by a restaurant owner exposed a wide conspiracy leading to a New Orleans crime family? And was James Earl Ray a patsy, as the King family recently declared?"

Call number: OPC - E185.97.K5 P67 1998

Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63 - Publisher's Marketing: " Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, "Parting the Waters" is destined to endure for generations.

Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.

Taylor Branch provides an unsurpassed portrait of King's rise to greatness and illuminates the stunning courage and private conflict, the deals, maneuvers, betrayals, and rivalries that determined history behind closed doors, at boycotts and sit-ins, on bloody freedom rides, and through siege and murder.

Epic in scope and impact, Branch's chronicle definitively captures one of the nation's most crucial passages."

Call number: SAC - E185.61 .B7914 1988

Call number: PAL - E185.61 .B7914 1989

"Pillar of Fire" covers the far-flung upheavals of the years 1963 to 1965-- Dallas, St. Augustine, Mississippi Freedom Summer, LBJ's Great Society and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Vietnam, Selma. And it provides a frank, revealing portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr.-- haunted by blackmail, factionalism, and hatred while he tried to hold the nonviolent movement together as a dramatic force in history. Allies, rivals, and opponents addressed racial issues that went deeper than fair treatment at bus stops or lunch counters. Participants on all sides stretched themselves and their country to the breaking point over the meaning of simple words: dignity, equal votes, equal souls.

Branch's gallery of historic characters also includes:

Malcolm X, who challenged King's vision of nonviolent integration and lived under threat of death from the Nation of Islam.

Lyndon Johnson, who believed racial conflict was destroying his political base in the South and threatening his dream to end poverty.

J. Edgar Hoover, under whose direction the FBI, with Attorney General Robert Kennedy's approval, spied on King with wiretaps and bugs, and yet solved the most heinous racial crimes of the era.

Diane Nash, the passionate leader behind sit-ins and Freedom Rides, whose determination shaped the Selma voting rights movement.

Abraham Heschel, the Hasidic theologian who bonded with King in devotion to the Hebrew prophets.

Robert Moses, the Mississippi SNCC leader who finally came undone over the human suffering caused by his Freedom Summer.

Fannie Lou Hamer, a sharecropper who commanded a powerful voice for the unlettered.

"Pillar of Fire" takes readers inside the dramas that shook every American institution, from the local pulpit to the Presidency. We disappear with courageous young people into Mississippi's feudal Parchman Penitentiary. We absorb the shock of a single Presidential election in 1964 that revolutionized the structure of partisan politics. We follow Northern rabbis summoned by King, and Mary Peabody, mother of the governor of Massachusetts, into the segregated jails of St. Augustine, Florida. We witness the Shakespearean conflicts between Lyndon Johnson and King and Hoover and Robert Kennedy.

Branch brings to bear fifteen years of research-- archival investigation; nearly two thousand interviews: new primary sources, from FBI wiretaps to White House telephone recordings-- in a seminal work of history. "Pillar of Fire" captures the intensity of the legendary King years, when the movement broke down walls between races, regions, sexes, and religions, and between America and the larger world. Its struggle to rescue and redeem, its victories and defeats, its failings and sacrifices gave rise to opposing tides that still dominate the national debate about justice and democratic government. The story of this movement is an incandescent chapter in America's distinctive quest for freedom."

Call number: SAC - E185.61 .B7915 1998

Murder in Memphis - Publisher's Marketing: "On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. Although James Earl Ray was arrested and charged with the crime in a prearranged and rehearsed hearing conducted without cross-examination or challenge by defense, he later insisted he was a pawn in a far-reaching conspiracy. Coinciding with the 25th anniversary, Murder in Memphis provides explosive information and invites readers to decide for themselves what really happened. Photographs."

Call number: PAL - E185.97.K5 L34 1993

My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. - Publisher's Marketing: "When Coretta Scott King first wrote this book, America was just beginning to cope with the tragedy of his assassination. Full of new insights about the past, present, and future, this revised edition of Mrs. King's inspiring memoir is both a narrative history of the Civil Rights movement and a personal account of one extraordinary woman's life with one extraordinary man."

Call number: OPC - E185.97.K5 K5 1993

Call number: PAL - E185.97.K5 K5 1969

The Day Martin Luther King Jr. Was Shot: A Photo History of the Civil Rights Movement

Call number: OPC - E185.97.K5 H3 1992

Voice of Deliverance: The Language of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Its Sources - Publisher's Marketing: "The true sources of Martin Luther King's powerful sermons and speeches are revealed in this fascinating exploration of his words and imagery. Voice of Deliverance tells of the pulpit traditions of the African-American folk church and of the printed sermons of white, liberal Protestant preachers. King's blending of these styles shows how he skillfully he was able to unite blacks and whites to move together in harmony to action and commitment."

Call number: OPC - E185.97.K5 M49 1992

Who Killed Martin L King?: The True Story by the Convicted Assassin - Publisher's Marketing: "Destined to be one of the most controversial books of the century, and a sure-fire bestseller, this true story by the convicted assassin of Dr. King will reveal the conspiracy and coverup which has tormented America, and one solitary man, for more than 20 years."

Call number: PAL - HV6248.R39 A3 1991

The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle

Call number: PAL - E185.615 .E95 1991

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Publisher's Marketing: "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed American society in profound ways. For instance, the bill ended much racial segregation, which had existed for decades in the daily lives of Americans. This collection captures a spectrum of views, from then and now, concerning the act's historical journey and contemporary legacy."

Call number: SAC - KF4749 .C58 2004

Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or a Nightmare - Publisher's Marketing: "A landmark book examining the relationship between the thought and the lives of two great men and their challenge to us all. King saw America as "essentially a dream", Malcolm saw the same America as a "realized nightmare". Yet Cone reveals two men whose missions were complementary and moving towards convergence."

Call number: PAL - E185.97 .K5 C66 1991

The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. - Publisher's Marketing: "This handsome, bestselling volume contains more than 120 excerpts from the great leader's speeches, sermons, and writings. King's thoughts on racism, civil rights, justice and freedom, faith and religion, nonviolence and peace, and the Community of Man rank among history's greatest. Includes 16 historic photographs."

Call number: SAC - E185.97.K5 A25

Call number: PAL - E185.97.K5 A25 1983

Martin Luther King - Publisher's Marketing: "Follows the life of the Baptist minister and black leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize before finally being assassinated in 1968."

Call number: OPC - E185.97.K5 S53 1985

Roots of Resistance: The Nonviolent Ethic of Martin Luther King, Jr. - Publisher's Marketing: "This study paints a personal portrait of King's life, his dream, and his lifelong search for nonviolent ways to combat injustice."

Call number: SAC - E185.97.K5 W33 1985

Call number: PAL - E185.97.K5 W33 1985

Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. - Publisher's Marketing: "Winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Award and the Christopher Award, this brilliant examination of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., portrays a very real man with a powerful dream that helped shape American history."

Call number: PAL - E185.97.K5 O18 1982

Strength to Love - Publisher's Marketing: "This is a collection of classic sermons preached by Martin Luther King, Jr."

Call number: PAL - BX6452 K5 1981

Search for the Beloved Community - Publisher's Marketing: "this book examines the thought of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the influences that shaped it. Kenneth L. Smith's firsthand knowledge of King's seminary studies provides the background for an incisive analysis of the influences of the Christian tradition."

Call number: PAL - E185.97.K5 S58 1974

Why We Can't Wait

Call number: PAL -E185.61 .K54 1964

I Have a Dream - Publisher's Marketing: "Relive Dr. King’s immortal speech in its entirety, as it was delivered to thousands on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C."

Call number: SAC - E185.97.K5 M37 2004 DVD

We Shall Not Be Moved - Publisher's Marketing: "This video examines the American Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of African-American churches. These churches provided moral and spiritual support as well as being critical and strategic centers for the movement."

Call number: OPC - E185.61 .W47 2001 VHS