"I've Been to the Mountaintop" past Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought well-nigh myself, I wondered who he was talking virtually. It's always good to have your closest friend and associate say something skilful about you. And Ralph is the best friend that I have in the earth.

I'1000 delighted to meet each of you lot hither tonight in spite of a storm alarm. You reveal that you are determined to become on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world.

As you lot know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther Rex, which age would you similar to live in?" — I would take my mental flight by Arab republic of egypt through, or rather across the Red Body of water, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't stop there. I would movement on by Greece, and have my heed to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon as they discussed the dandy and eternal issues of reality.

But I wouldn't terminate there. I would keep, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments effectually there, through various emperors and leaders. Only 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 even go past the fashion that the man for whom I'k named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-v theses on the door at the church in Wittenberg.

But I wouldn't stop there. I would come up on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating president by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn't stop at that place. I would fifty-fifty come upwards to the early thirties, and come across a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fright merely fear itself.

But I wouldn't terminate there. Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to alive only a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I volition be happy." Now that's a strange argument to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Problem is in the land. Confusion all effectually. That'south a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is nighttime enough, tin you meet the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a abroad that men, in some foreign manner, are responding — something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, S Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Republic of ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the weep is always the same — "Nosotros want to be costless."

And another reason that I'chiliad happy to alive in this menses is that we have been forced to a point where we're going to have to grapple with the bug that men accept been trying to grapple with through history, simply the demand didn't force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, accept been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer tin can they just talk nigh it. Information technology is no longer a option between violence and nonviolence in this earth; it's nonviolence or nonexistence.

That is where we are today. And too in the homo rights revolution, if something isn't done, and in a bustle, to bring the colored peoples of the earth out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I'm just happy that God has immune me to live in this menses, to meet what is unfolding. And I'm happy that He'south immune me to be in Memphis.

I tin remember, I can retrieve when Negroes were simply going around as Ralph has said, and then oft, scratching where they didn't itch, and laughing when they were non tickled. But that day is all over. We hateful business organisation at present, and nosotros are adamant to gain our rightful place in God's world.

And that's all this whole thing is nigh. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in whatsoever negative arguments with anybody. We are maxim that we are determined to exist men. We are adamant to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live.

Now, what does all of this hateful in this nifty period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. Nosotros've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. Simply whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's courtroom, and he cannot concord the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.

Secondly, permit united states of america keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The outcome 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'due south always the trouble with a lilliputian violence. Yous know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the manufactures. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that i thousand, iii hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is non existence fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a md. They didn't get effectually to that.

At present nosotros're going to march again, and we've got to march over again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the upshot. And we've got to say to the nation: nosotros know it'south coming out. For when people become defenseless upwardly with that which is right and they are willing to cede for information technology, there is no stopping point short of victory.

We aren't going to permit any mace stop u.s.. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police force forces; they don't know what to exercise, I've seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle in that location we would motility out of the 16th Street Baptist Church building day after twenty-four hours; by the hundreds we would movement out. And Balderdash Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; merely nosotros just went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna allow nobody turn me circular." Bull Connor next 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 chronicle to the transphysics that we knew about. And that was the fact that there was a certain 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 another denomination, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, only nosotros knew water.

That couldn't terminate us. And we but went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we'd go on before the h2o hoses and we would look at it, and we'd only proceed singing "Over my head I see liberty in the air." And then we would exist thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there similar sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and onetime Bull would say, "Take them off," and they did; and we would just go in the paddy carriage singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every now and and then we'd go far the jail, and we'd see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a ability there which Bull Connor couldn't adjust to; and then we concluded upward transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.

Now nosotros've got to continue to Memphis simply like that. I call upon you lot to be with the states Monday. Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and we're going into court tomorrow morning 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, peradventure I could sympathise the denial of certain basic Kickoff Amendment privileges, considering they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of associates. Somewhere I read of the liberty of spoken communication. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so merely as I say, nosotros aren't going to let whatsoever injunction turn us effectually. Nosotros are going on.

Nosotros need all of you lot. And yous know what's beautiful tome, is to run into all of these ministers of the Gospel. It'south a marvelous film. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more the preacher? Somehow the preacher must exist an Amos, and say, "Allow justice roll downwardly like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, considering he hath all-powerful me to deal with the problems of the poor."

And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, 1 who has been in this struggle for many years; he's been to jail for struggling; just he'due south still going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Rev. Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could just go right on down the list, but time volition not let. But I desire to thank them all. And I want you to give thanks them, because and so oftentimes, preachers aren't concerned about annihilation just themselves. And I'one thousand always happy to see a relevant ministry building.

Information technology'southward all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to article of clothing down here. It'south all right to talk virtually "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to exist concerned well-nigh the slums down here, and his children who tin't eat 3 foursquare meals a twenty-four hour period. Information technology'southward all right to talk near the new Jerusalem, but 1 day, God's preachers must talk nigh the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.

Now the other thing we'll have to practise is this: Always ballast our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now, we are poor people, individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the earth, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, United kingdom, W Germany, France, and I could name the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an almanac income of more thirty billion dollars a twelvemonth, which is more than than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national upkeep of Canada. Did you know that? That'southward power right in that location, if we know how to pool it.

We don't have to debate with anybody. Nosotros don't have to curse and get around interim bad with our words. We don't demand any bricks and bottles, we don't need whatever Molotov cocktails, nosotros just need to become around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that yous're not treating his children right. And we've come up by here to ask you to brand the first item on your agenda off-white handling, where God's children are concerned. At present, if yous are non prepared to practise that, we practice accept an agenda that nosotros must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you."

And so, equally a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to become out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go past and tell them not to purchase Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other bread?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other breadstuff company, Jesse? Tell them non to buy Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the hurting. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they tin begin the procedure of saying, they are going to back up the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And so they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right.

But non only that, we've got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to have your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in Tri-Land Banking company—we want a "banking company-in" movement in Memphis. So go by the savings and loan association. I'm not asking you something nosotros don't practice ourselves at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell y'all that we have an account hither in the savings and loan association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We're just telling you to follow what we're doing. Put your coin there. You have six or 7 blackness insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We want to have an "insurance-in."

Now these are some applied things we can do. Nosotros begin the procedure of building a greater economical base. And at the same time, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here.

Now, let me say as I motility to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nada would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. We've got to come across it through. And when we have our march, you lot need to exist there. Be concerned nigh your blood brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or nosotros go downwards together.

Permit the states develop a kind of unsafe unselfishness. Ane day a man came to Jesus; and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a footling more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base of operations. Now that question could have easily ended upwards in a philosophical and theological debate. Just Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a unsafe bend between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who fell amidst thieves. You call up that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn't stop to assistance him. And finally a homo of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be empathetic by proxy. But with him, administering outset help, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up maxim, this was the adept human, this was the neat homo, because he had the capacity to projection the "I" into the "thou," and to be concerned about his blood brother. At present you know, nosotros use our imagination a groovy bargain to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't end. At times nosotros 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 tardily for their coming together. At other times nosotros would speculate that there was a religious constabulary that "One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human torso 20-four hours before the ceremony." And every now so we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Road Improvement Association." That'southward a possibility. Peradventure they felt that information technology was better to deal with the trouble from the causal root, rather than to get bogged downwardly with an private attempt.

But I'yard going to tell you what my imagination tells me. Information technology's possible that these men were afraid. You run into, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were kickoff in Jerusalem. We rented a auto and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And equally soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I tin can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable." It'due south a winding, meandering road. Information technology'due south really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 feet above ocean level. And past the time you get downward to Jericho, fifteen or 20 minutes afterward, you're virtually 2200 feet below body of water level. That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, information technology'south possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that homo on the ground and wondered if the robbers were notwithstanding effectually. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in social club to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and piece of cake seizure. And and so the commencement question that the Levite asked was, "If I cease to help this homo, what will happen to me?" But and so the Skilful Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I practise not stop to assist this man, what will happen to him?"

That's the question before yous this night. Not, "If I cease to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every calendar week as a pastor?" The question is non, "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's the question.

Let us rise upwardly this evening with a greater readiness. Permit u.s.a. stand with a greater determination. And allow us movement on in these powerful days, these days of claiming to make America what it ought to exist. Nosotros take an opportunity to brand America a meliorate nation. And I want to give thanks God, once more than, for allowing me to be here with you lot.

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 blackness adult female came up. The just question I heard from her was, "Are yous Martin Luther Male monarch?"

And I was looking down writing, and I said aye. And the next infinitesimal I felt something beating on my breast. Before I knew information technology I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the bract was on the border of my aorta, the principal artery. And once that's punctured, you drown in your own blood—that'due south the end of you.

It came out in the New York Times the next morning time, that if I had sneezed, I would take died. Well, virtually 4 days subsequently, they immune me, subsequently the functioning, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over us, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received 1 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, simply I've forgotten what the letter said. Merely there was another alphabetic character that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply, "Love Dr. King: I am a ninth-form student at the White Plains High Schoolhouse." She said, "While it should not affair, 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 would have died. And I'm simply writing y'all to say that I'one thousand so happy that you lot didn't sneeze."

And I want to say tonight, I desire to say that I am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't take been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the all-time in the American dream. And taking the whole nation dorsum to those keen wells of commonwealth 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 around in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs upwards. And whenever men and women straighten their backs upwardly, they are going somewhere, because a man tin can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, angry the conscience of this nation, and brought into existence the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a risk after that year, in August, to attempt to tell America most a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'grand so happy that I didn't sneeze.

And they were telling me, now it doesn't affair now. It really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as nosotros got started on the plane, at that place were six of the states, the pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, only nosotros accept Dr. Martin Luther Rex on the aeroplane. And to be sure that all of the numberless were checked, and to exist sure that aught would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night."

And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk virtually 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 at present. We've got some difficult days ahead. Merely it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Similar everyone, I would similar to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'thou not concerned about that now. I simply want to do God'southward volition. And He's allowed me to get up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may non go there with yous. But I desire you to know tonight, that we, every bit a people, will get to the promised country. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'g not fearing whatsoever homo. Mine optics accept seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.