[KING, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968)]. Rally for Freedom in Support of the Birmingham Movement. Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, CA: 26 May 1963.

4pp, folio, 7 x 8 1/2 in. (light toning, slight loss to lower right corner of cover).

Program cover identifies featured presenters as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dick Gregory, Rev. Wyatt Walker, and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. Interior lists "Participating Organizations," as well as individual names under "Publicity," "Community Contact," "Ushers," and "Citizens Committee."

Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama, on 12 April 1963, and penned his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while spending more than a week in confinement there. The Rally for Freedom, held in Los Angeles just over a month later, was a fundraising event for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It was specifically organized to aid the SCLC in meeting the cost of bail and appeal bonds. Harnessing the star-power and financial wherewithal of Hollywood elites such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Dorothy Dandridge, Paul Newman, Rita Moreno, and Marlon Brando, the event helped raise awareness for the Civil Rights movement and an estimated quarter of a million dollars. Approximately 30,000 people were in attendance at the event.
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