Correspondence: Letters, Telegrams, and Cards Received after Stabbing in Harlem, 1958

The subseries is comprised of letters, greeting cards, telegrams, postcards, and other correspondence received by Martin Luther King, Jr. following his stabbing by Izola Ware Curry on September 21, 1958. The correspondence from a variety of individuals and organizations convey well wishes, offers of assistance, prayers, concerns for his safety, and admiration of his work. Donations for his medical costs, convalescence, and the civil rights movement were often included. Opinions regarding his attacker, invitations, suggestions, and requests for his book are also discussed. Some of the letters are adverse, with criticism of the civil rights movement, King’s activities, and disparaging remarks. In addition to the mail Martin Luther King, Jr. received, the subseries also has carbon copies of his replies that express his thanks, inability to accept engagements, and updates on his recovery.

Many of the items in this subseries have annotations written on them presumably by secretaries after they were received. There are date received stamps, addresses, amounts of contributions, terms identifying the type of sender, underlining, check marks, and numbers. These annotations are written in an unknown hand unless otherwise noted in the folder description.