Annual Address by President Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Fourth Anniversary of the Montgomery Improvement Association, 1959 December 3

The series is comprised of papers about the Montgomery bus protest, correspondence, and a few other documents from the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). An outline of the protest, letter to the Montgomery Public, statement on the Supreme Court decision, and list of suggestions for integrated buses explain the origins of the protest, the non-violent nature of the movement, and its resolution. The correspondence and form letters discuss contributions to the cause, volunteering, expressions of support, membership, and the organization’s operational activities. The series also has information about the future of the association, including a press release about the January 10-11, 1957 conference to coordinate the campaign for integrated transportation, a reprint of King’s annual address on MIA’s fourth anniversary, a pamphlet detailing a ten point program for the MIA after the bus protests, and proposed plan outlining a resolution for united Christian action to build a better south. In addition, there is a program from a song and praise service saluting the Freedom Riders on May 21, 1961 that was beset by a white mob outside of the church and a memo about the case of Jimmy Wilson, sentenced to death for robbing an elderly white woman.