Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Signed Kenyan Independence Day Invitation.

Rare invitation to a celebration of the first anniversary of Kenyan Independence in Stockholm, Sweden signed by Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, and Ralph Abernathy. The color-printed invitation to the event “Kenya Celebrates 1st Anniversary of Independence & Republic Day” held at the Hotel Malmen in Stockholm, signed at the upper left in ink by both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King and by Ralph Abernathy at upper right although this signature faded. The card is numbered 803 and invites Anna Lisa Dahlback to the celebration. Three days after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize and giving a speech in Oslo, Martin Luther King, Jr. attended an event with his wife in Stockholm celebrating the 1st anniversary of Kenyan Independence. Dr. King was the second African American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, rendering this an important moment not only in American history but also for bringing the Civil Rights struggle to the world stage. In his speech upon receiving the award, Dr. King remarked, “I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when 22 million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. I accept this award on behalf of a civil rights movement which is moving with determination and a majestic scorn for risk and danger to establish a reign of freedom and a rule of justice. I am mindful that only yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama, our children, crying out for brotherhood, were answered with fire hoses, snarling dogs and even death. I am mindful that only yesterday in Philadelphia, Mississippi, young people seeking to secure the right to vote were brutalized and murdered. And only yesterday more than 40 houses of worship in the State of Mississippi alone were bombed or burned because they offered a sanctuary to those who would not accept segregation. I am mindful that debilitating and grinding poverty afflicts my people and chains them to the lowest rung of the economic ladder. Therefore, I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize. After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time – the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression.” In very good condition with the the Abernathy signature faded as noted. The invitation measures 6.25 inches by 3.5 inches. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 15.75 inches by 14.5 inches. Scarce. Signed items from King’s time in Stockholm are scarce. We can trace only one other example of this signed invitation in the auction record without the signature of King’s wife, Coretta Scott.