Between January 14th and 25th, members of the Emory community will commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. during King Week.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday first came into being in 1983, when President Reagan signed a bill to make King’s birthday a legal public holiday. It is the only federally-designated holiday devoted to volunteer service.
Each year, the day is declared via Presidential Proclamation. In the 2024 Proclamation, President Joe Biden highlighted King’s spiritual leadership: “Dr. King’s mission was a moral one: From bridges and ballot boxes to pulpits, protests, and courthouses, he courageously stood for the sacred idea that embodies the soul of our Nation — we are all created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.”
Are you interested in learning more about King and his legacy? Check out a book or film from the Robert W. Woodruff Library. Members of the public can use this list to find these titles at your local library.
Books
King: A Life, by Jonathan Eig
In this new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself.
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson
Written in his own words, this history-making autobiography is Martin Luther King: the mild-mannered, inquisitive child and student who chafed under and eventually rebelled against segregation; the dedicated young minister who continually questioned the depths of his faith and the limits of his wisdom; the loving husband and father who sought to balance his family’s needs with those of a growing, nationwide movement; and the reflective, world-famous leader who was fired by a vision of equality for people everywhere.
Parting the Waters, America in the King Years 1954-63, by Taylor Branch
Pulitzer Prize-winning chronicle of the civil rights struggle from the twilight of the Eisenhower years through the assassination of President Kennedy.
See also Branch’s other works on King: Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65 and At Canaan’s Edge: America During the King Years, 1965-1968. Branch received an honorary degree from Emory in 2017.
Interested in books about King for young readers? Here are some recommended children’s books available at the Woodruff Library:
“Rosa” is a biography of civil rights activist Rosa Parks written by poet, activist, and educator Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier. The book won the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators and is a Caldecott Honor Book.
Martin’s Big Words, by Doreen Rappaport
This Caldecott Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book uses quotes from some of Dr. King’s most beloved speeches to tell the story of his life and his work in an accessible way.
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Let Freedom Ring, by Michael Teitelbaum
A graphic-novel biography of Martin Luther King Jr.
Find a complete list of works by Martin Luther King, Jr. held by the Woodruff Library here. For a list of works about King see here.
Film
From award-winning director/producer Peter Kunhardt, “King in the Wilderness” follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the volatile last three years of his life, from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in April 1968.
“Eyes on the Prize,” Season 1: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Season 2: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8
Produced by Blackside, “Eyes on the Prize” tells the story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today.
Our Friend Martin
A 1999 animated children’s educational film about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Attend a screening of the film on campus on Friday, January 17th. For more information consult the King Week at Emory webpage.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. In this film, Sam Pollard lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the ’50s and ’60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historical struggle to secure voting rights for all people. A dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1964.
For a complete list of media related to King see here.
Where can I get these titles? Visit the Robert W. Woodruff Library or attend Wonderful Wednesday on January 22 from 12-2 p.m. for a pop-up lending library of books by and about King. Or check your local library for these titles, including streaming services for films.
Suggestions? Have you read a book or watched a film related to African American history and culture and would like to recommend it to the Emory community? Contact Erica Bruchko (berica [at] emory [dot] edu) with your suggestions!
—by Erica Bruchko, US history and African American Studies librarian