The letters written by civil rights leader and world icon, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are floating around in different places around the country. One note addressed to a white police officer turned up at a dealer in Philadelphia.
Dated May 21, 1965, Sgt. James was thanked by the leader for serving his post during a Law Day visit on May 1st at the University of Pennsylvania.
King thanked him for “the time and effort which you spent in providing both protection and traffic accompaniment for myself and the members of my party.”
“While I hardly feel this necessary most of the time,” the civil rights leader wrote, “it is both comforting and humbling to know that there are persons who are so concerned about my welfare.”
The letter, being sold by The Raab Collection, is set for the price of $10,500. It’s a one page, typewritten note, passed down the police sergeant’s family line.
