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<\/a>These photos were in an original envelope from 1966 included in one of the hundreds of boxes of official City of Philadelphia photographs waiting to be scanned and uploaded to PhillyHistory.org. The envelope described the contents as \u201cStreets Sanitation: 1800 Block N. Lambert St, Mrs. Craig.\u201d It was with great excitement that I \u201cdiscovered\u201d these photos also included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! Immediately, I wanted to know why this icon of the Civil Rights Movement was in Philadelphia\u00a0 in 1966 on a streets sanitation tour.<\/p>\nDr. King, as was his mission, traveled extensively around the country to speak at rallies and gatherings to promote the cause of civil rights. In the few days of October 1966 he was here, his presence bolstered at least three events. Dr. King was welcomed to Philadelphia by the Rev. William L. Bentley, pastor of the Emmanuel Institutional Baptist Church and president of the Interfaith Interracial Council.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by Rev.\u00a0Bentley, Dr. King\u2019s first stop in Philadelphia was to speak Sunday, Oct. 9th<\/sup> at The Arena before a crowd of 1500 as part of a rally organized by Civil Rights activist James Meredith and sponsored by the Interfaith Interracial Council of the Clergy. Dubbed by the Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em> as \u201cthe lonesome traveler of the civil rights movement,\u201d Meredith may be most remembered for his brush with death only four months before this rally.<\/a>[2]<\/a><\/p>\n James Meredith was the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Persevering under intense opposition, he graduated in 1964, and in 1966 \u201cbegan a one man protest against racial violence in Mississippi which he called a \u2018March Against Fear.\u2019\u201d Originating in Memphis, Tennessee, the march was to end at Jackson, Mississippi, but shortly<\/p>\n after he crossed into Mississippi, Meredith was shot by an unknown assailant. Dr. Martin Luther King and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, led by Stokely Carmichael, continued on the march, meeting the recovering Meredith the day before they reached the state capital.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n On Monday, October 10, Dr. King, accompanied by his good friend and fellow activist Ralph Abernathy, Rev. William Bentley and others toured African American neighborhoods in the city. Captured images show the entourage speaking to Mrs. Craig, meeting tradesmen working on some of the houses on the 1800 block of N. Lambert Street, and interacting with people on the street. Details of the images show Dr. King outfitted with a microphone and cord.[4]<\/a> I\u2019m sure the people of that neighborhood got a rare treat in hearing the words of Dr. King that day, although the exact topics of his speeches remain unknown.<\/p>\n Dr. King\u2019s next engagement while in Philadelphia was to speak at a luncheon honoring Rev. William Bentley on his 25th<\/sup> anniversary as pastor of the Emmanuel Institutional Baptist Church. The luncheon, sponsored by the Greater Chamber of Commerce, took place at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel and was attended by approximately 300 businessmen of Philadelphia.[5]<\/a> Dr. King\u2019s message at this gathering emphasized that \u201c\u2019There are two Americas in existence today. \u00a0One is white America, which is beautiful and prosperous. The other is the America of Discovering these images in an unobtrusively labeled envelope shows the importance of the photo organization and digitization completed via PhillyHistory.org. It is our task to properly catalog and scan the photos in the Philadelphia City Archives collection and store them in new, archival quality envelopes and boxes. Thousands of images have been scanned and uploaded, but many thousands still await scanning. As we go through each envelope, we know that not all are labeled accurately. This could be due to photographer error, changes in street names, architecture, or events. Images that now have historical importance perhaps were considered quite ordinary when the photographer took them. In 1966 Dr. Martin Luther King was not regarded in the same light that he is now. Perhaps that can account for the labeling of this archival envelope. Whatever the reason for this labeling, discovering a snippet of American history in the Philadelphia City Archives is greatly exciting, and has now added another facet to the noble story and life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the City of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Them That Do: Stories About Philadelphia\u2019s Block Captains<\/em>, Sigrid Craig \u2013 Mother of Philadelphia Block Captains. (7 May, 2015). http:\/\/themthatdo.net\/2015\/05\/sigrid-craig-mother-of-philadelphia-block-captains\/<\/a>. The Better Philadelphia Committee evolved into the Clean-up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up campaign, eventually becoming the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee in 1965.<\/p>\n [2] The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em>. Monday Morning, October 10, 1966. pg 6.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n [3]<\/a> BlackPast.org, Remembered and Reclaimed: A Reference Guide to African American History<\/em>. Meredith, James (1933- ). https:\/\/blackpast.org\/aah\/meredith-james-1933<\/a> (Accessed 22 Jan, 2019.)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n [4]<\/a> https:\/\/www.phillyhistory.org\/PhotoArchive\/Detail.aspx?assetId=156952<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n [5]<\/a> The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em>. Tuesday Morning, October 11, 1966. pg. 6.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>the Negroes which is ugly, brooding, defeated and disappointed.\u2019\u201d Dr. King went on to point out to the businessmen the wide salary gap between white and black workers, and said \u201cThis presents for our nation a problem which must be dealt with. To move ahead we must solve it. As long as nothing is done, it will only encourage the forces of extremism.\u201d[6]<\/a> Fifty-three years later, these words continue to encourage us to look for inequities in our current systems. Though Dr. King\u2019s work ended too soon, there is still much to discover about his life and mission; and through that discovery, much to learn and teach to our children as leaders of tomorrow.<\/p>\n