Letter; To Arthur Ashe from Martin Luther King, Jr.

Typewritten letter from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Lt. Arthur Ashe (at West Point) thanking him for his "expression of support and solidarity in the fight for justice, freedom and dignity for all people in this country." Signed in blue ink by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Arthur Ashe recounted that in early 1968, he was asked by Reverend Jefferson Rogers "to speak at the Church of the Redeemer in Washington, D.C. on the role of the black athlete in the wrenching changes taking place in American society....Reverend Rogers, an intelligent, influential black man deeply concerned with trying to merge religious conviction with the imperatives of race consciousness and progressive politics." In response to Ashe's decision to speak, King wrote this letter thanking Ashe.