A handwritten note from Martin Luther King, Jr. on the meaning of love was just discovered
Sometimes simple speeches can be as impactful as the grand ones. A simple, but powerful handwritten note from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on love speaks volumes, despite its brevity.
Memorabilia company Moments in Time is selling the note for $42,000. King's handwriting is both hard to come by and valuable, hence the high price tag. "It is extremely rare. Other than inscriptions in (typed) letters and books, finding a handwritten note is very rare," Gary Zimet, CEO of Moments in Time, told CNN. "This note encapsulates the philosophy of King's life and that's why it's so important."
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The note was penned to someone who asked King about the meaning of love. "Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God," the note reads. The note is believed to have been written in the mid-1960s and is signed by King.
The note was found by a memorabilia dealer in England who didn't know how valuable the item was. Zimet told CNN he compared the note to other examples of King's handwriting to verify its authenticity. However, he believed it was real as soon as he saw it, thanks in part to his 40 year experience working with memorabilia.
The note isn't the only MLK memorabilia for sale on the Moments in Time website. The company also has a letter from King to Sammy Davis Jr. listed on their website. The typed letter has a handwritten postscript. The letter discusses the contributions of the black artists to the Civil Rights movement. "Today greats like Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Mahalia Jackson and yourself, of course, are not content to merely identify with the struggle. They actively participate in it, as artists and as citizens adding their weight and enormous prestige and thus helping to move the struggle forward," the letter reads.
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If you don't have $42,000 on hand, you can still gain inspiration from King's handwriting. Atlanta's National Center for Civil and Human Rights currently has handwritten sermons and speeches on display as part of the museum's We Share the Dream: King's Beloved Community exhibit. The exhibit is open until June.
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