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

MLK at Mason Temple, April 3, 1968Dr. Martin Luther Rex, Jr. delivered this speech in support of the striking sanitation workers at Stonemason Temple in Memphis, TN on April 3, 1968 — the day before he was assassinated. License to reproduce this speech granted by Intellectual Backdrop Management, 1579-F Monroe Bulldoze, Suite 235, Atlanta, Georgia 30324, equally managing director for the King Estate. Write to IPM re: copyright permission for apply of words and images of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cheers very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction then idea about myself, I wondered who he was talking about. Information technology's always practiced to have your closest friend and acquaintance say something good about you. And Ralph is the best friend that I have in the world.

I'm delighted to run into each of yous here this evening in spite of a storm warning. Y'all reveal that you lot are determined to go on anyway. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our globe.

As y'all know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole human being history upwards to now, and the Omnipotent said to me, "Martin Luther Rex, which historic period would you like to alive in?" — I would have my mental flight past Egypt through, or rather across the Crimson Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised state. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't stop there. I would move on by Greece, and accept my mind to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon every bit they discussed the great and eternal problems of reality.

Just I wouldn't end there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would run into developments around at that place, through various emperors and leaders. Merely I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the twenty-four hours of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of man. But I wouldn't stop in that location. I would fifty-fifty go past the manner that the man for whom I'm named had his habitat. And I would picket Martin Luther every bit he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church in Wittenberg.

Simply I wouldn't stop at that place. I would come on up even to 1863, and spotter a vacillating president past the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Declaration. But I wouldn't stop at that place. I would even come up upward to the early thirties, and see a human being grappling with the issues of the defalcation of his nation. And come with an eloquent weep that we take nothing to fright simply fear itself.

Just I wouldn't finish at that place. Strangely plenty, I would turn to the Omnipotent, and say, "If you let me to live merely a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy." Now that's a strange statement to make, because the earth is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Defoliation all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you lot see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a away that men, in some strange way, are responding — something is happening in our globe. The masses of people are rising upwardly. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, Southward Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Republic of ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is always the same — "We want to be gratuitous."

And some other reason that I'thou happy to live in this menstruum is that we have 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 do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, accept been talking most state of war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk near it. Information technology is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this globe; it's nonviolence or nonexistence.

That is where we are today. And as well in the human rights revolution, if something isn't done, and in a bustle, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of injure and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I'thousand simply happy that God has allowed me to alive in this menses, to run into what is unfolding. And I'm happy that He's allowed me to exist in Memphis.

I tin remember, I tin remember when Negroes were only going effectually as Ralph has said, so often, scratching where they didn't itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that day is all over. We mean business now, and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God's world.

And that's all this whole thing is nigh. Nosotros aren't engaged in whatever negative protest and in any negative arguments with everyone. We are proverb that we are determined to exist men. Nosotros are adamant to be people. We are saying that we are God'south children. And that we don't take to alive similar we are forced to alive.

Now, what does all of this hateful in this great menses of history? It means that nosotros've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. Yous know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing information technology. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. Merely whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot agree the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the offset of getting out of slavery. Now permit u.s.a. maintain unity.

Secondly, let united states of america proceed the problems where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That'southward e'er the problem with a fiddling violence. Y'all know what happened the other day, and the press dealt but with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that 1 thousand, three hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire demand of a doc. They didn't get around to that.

At present we're going to march over again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And forcefulness everybody to come across that there are thirteen hundred of God'southward children hither suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That'southward the event. And nosotros've got to say to the nation: we know it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.

We aren't going to let whatever mace stop us. We are masters in our irenic movement in disarming police forces; they don't know what to do, I've seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that royal struggle there we would movement out of the 16th Street Baptist Church mean solar day after day; by the hundreds we would movement out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; but nosotros merely went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me round." Balderdash Connor adjacent would say, "Turn 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 about. And that was the fact that at that place was a sure kind of burn that no water could put out. And we went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or some other denomination, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water.

That couldn't stop united states of america. And we just went on before the dogs and nosotros would wait at them; and we'd go on before the h2o hoses and we would look at it, and nosotros'd just keep singing "Over my head I see freedom in the air." And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw u.s.a. in, and old Bull would say, "Take them off," and they did; and we would just go in the paddy carriage singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every at present and and so we'd get in the jail, and we'd see the jailers looking through the windows existence moved past our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn't adjust to; and and then we concluded up transforming Balderdash into a steer, and nosotros won our struggle in Birmingham.

Now we've got to become on to Memphis but like that. I call upon you lot to be with us Mon. Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and nosotros're going into court tomorrow morning time to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, "Be true to what you said on paper." If I lived in China or even Russian federation, or any totalitarian state, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic Offset Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over at that place. But somewhere I read of the liberty of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech communication. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the correct to protestation for right. And so just equally I say, we aren't going to permit any injunction turn us around. Nosotros are going on.

Nosotros need all of you. And you know what'due south beautiful tome, is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. Information technology's a marvelous picture. Who is information technology that is supposed to clear the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must exist an Amos, and say, "Let justice ringlet downwardly like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to deal 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 go correct on downwards the listing, but time will non allow. But I want to give thanks them all. And I want you to thank them, because so frequently, preachers aren't concerned about anything but themselves. And I'm always happy to see a relevant ministry building.

It'south all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. Simply ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It'south all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," merely God has commanded the states to exist concerned almost the slums downward here, and his children who can't swallow three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk virtually the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to practise.

Now the other matter we'll have to exercise is this: Ever ballast our external direct action with the ability of economic withdrawal. At present, we are poor people, individually, nosotros are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that ways all of united states of america together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the globe, with the exception of ix. Did you ever call up most that? After you exit the United States, Soviet Russia, Britain, W Deutschland, France, and I could proper noun the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the globe. Nosotros accept an annual income of more 30 billion dollars a twelvemonth, which is more than than all of the exports of the United States, and more than than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That'southward ability right there, if nosotros know how to pool information technology.

We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't accept to expletive and become effectually interim bad with our words. We don't need whatever bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails, we just need to go effectually to these stores, and to these massive industries in our land, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children correct. And nosotros've come up by here to ask y'all to brand the first item on your calendar fair handling, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you lot are non prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that nosotros must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic back up from you."

And so, as a upshot of this, nosotros are request y'all tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Get by and tell them non to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other breadstuff?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread visitor, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men accept been feeling pain; now nosotros must kind of redistribute the hurting. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been off-white in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying, they are going to back up 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 do 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 money in Tri-State Depository financial institution—nosotros want a "banking company-in" movement in Memphis. So go past the savings and loan association. I'one thousand not request you something we don't practise ourselves at SCLC. Guess Hooks and others will tell y'all that nosotros have an account here in the savings and loan clan from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We're just telling you to follow what we're doing. Put your money there. You take vi or vii black insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance there. Nosotros desire to have an "insurance-in."

Now these are some applied things we can practise. We begin the process of building a greater economic base. And at the aforementioned fourth dimension, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask y'all to follow through here.

Now, permit me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the finish. Nothing would be more tragic than to terminate at this point, in Memphis. Nosotros've got to see it through. And when nosotros accept our march, you need to be there. Be concerned well-nigh your brother. You may not exist on strike. But either we go upwards together, or we go down together.

Let united states of america develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a human being came to Jesus; and he wanted to raise some questions well-nigh some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a piffling more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base. Now that question could have hands ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed information technology on a unsafe curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked well-nigh a sure homo, who fell among thieves. You think that a Levite and a priest passed past on the other side. They didn't cease to assistance him. And finally a human of another race came by. He got down from his animate being, decided not to be compassionate past proxy. But with him, administering first aid, and helped the human in need. Jesus concluded up saying, this was the practiced man, this was the great man, because he had the chapters to project the "I" into the "k," and to exist concerned about his blood brother. Now you lot know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't finish. 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 late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that "One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch on a human body twenty-iv hours before the ceremony." And every at present and then we brainstorm to wonder whether peradventure they were not going downwardly to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Road Improvement Association." That's a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged downward with an individual attempt.

Only I'thou going to tell you lot what my imagination tells me. It'southward possible that these men were agape. You lot see, the Jericho road is a unsafe road. I retrieve when Mrs. Male monarch and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon every bit we got on that road, I said to my married woman, "I can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable." It'south a winding, meandering road. Information technology's really conducive for ambushing. Yous start out in Jerusalem, which is near 1200 miles, or rather 1200 feet higher up sea level. And past the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, yous're well-nigh 2200 feet below bounding main level. That'southward a unsafe road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, it'southward possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were even so effectually. Or information technology's possible that they felt that the human being on the ground was but faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over in that location, lure them in that location for quick and like shooting fish in a barrel seizure. And so the offset question that the Levite asked was, "If I finish to help this human, what will happen to me?" Simply then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to assistance this human, what volition happen to him?"

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

Allow us rise upward tonight with a greater readiness. Permit us stand with a greater determination. And permit us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. Nosotros have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I desire to thank God, over again, for allowing me to be here with yous.

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 yous Martin Luther King?"

And I was looking downward writing, and I said aye. And the adjacent minute I felt something chirapsia on my chest. Earlier I knew it I had been stabbed past this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. Information technology was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the chief artery. And once that's punctured, yous drown in your own blood—that'south the finish of y'all.

Information technology came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, about iv days afterwards, they allowed me, afterwards the operation, subsequently my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the bike chair in the hospital. They immune me to read some of the mail service that came in, and from all over u.s., and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, just one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what the letter said. Just in that location was some other letter that came from a little girl, a immature girl who was a student at the White Plains High Schoolhouse. And I looked at that alphabetic character, and I'll never forget it. It said simply, "Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." She said, "While it should not thing, 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 you had sneezed, you lot would accept died. And I'm simply writing you lot to say that I'm then happy that y'all didn't sneeze."

And I desire to say this evening, I desire 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 as they were sitting in, they were really continuing up for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't accept been effectually in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs upwardly, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't accept been here in 1963, when the blackness people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into beingness the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a adventure later that year, in August, to try to tell America well-nigh a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't accept been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to encounter the customs rally around 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 matter at present. Information technology actually doesn't thing what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, at that place were six of usa, the airplane pilot said over the public address organization, "We are distressing for the delay, only nosotros have Dr. Martin Luther Rex on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be certain that nothing would be wrong with the aeroplane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the aeroplane protected and guarded all nighttime."

And so I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk well-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. Nosotros've got some difficult days alee. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't listen. Like everyone, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its identify. Only I'g not concerned about that at present. I simply want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go upward to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised country. I may not get in that location with you. But I desire you to know tonight, that nosotros, as a people, will go to the promised land. And I'yard happy, tonight. I'm not worried most annihilation. I'yard not fearing any man. Mine optics take seen the celebrity of the coming of the Lord.