New York Times Editorial - Selling America's heritage
New York Times Editorial - Selling America's heritage
The New York Times
Published: June 11, 2006
Americans would be rightly outraged to learn that the newly discovered papers of, say, Washington, Jefferson or Lincoln were being sold at auction to someone who might bar the general public from using them for research purposes, or even eventually sell them off piece by piece as curiosities. They should be just as worried about the impending auction of thousands of documents from the personal papers of Martin Luther King Jr.
King was perhaps the most important American of the last half of the 20th century, the figure who played a pivotal role in the movement for social justice that transformed the United States. He was also the symbol of the great moral challenge of American history - the heritage of slavery and the issue of race.
It is astonishing that the United States celebrates King's birthday with a national holiday but has failed to make sure his papers were placed at a research institution where they would have remained open to public use. But the King family - which has too often placed profit and family control above the national interests - is said to have discouraged such a university sale by imposing undue restrictions on the papers that would have remained in effect even after they were sold.
This unfortunate chain of events has led to the auction block at Sotheby's in New York, which has scheduled a sale on June 30 of more 7,000 items from the King papers, including the manuscript of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. The King children owe it to their father's legacy to change their minds. Failing that, we can only hope that whoever buys the collection recognizes its immense historical value and preserves unfettered public access in perpetuity. If not, an important window into King's life during his most active years could well be closed forever.
The New York Times
Published: June 11, 2006
Americans would be rightly outraged to learn that the newly discovered papers of, say, Washington, Jefferson or Lincoln were being sold at auction to someone who might bar the general public from using them for research purposes, or even eventually sell them off piece by piece as curiosities. They should be just as worried about the impending auction of thousands of documents from the personal papers of Martin Luther King Jr.
King was perhaps the most important American of the last half of the 20th century, the figure who played a pivotal role in the movement for social justice that transformed the United States. He was also the symbol of the great moral challenge of American history - the heritage of slavery and the issue of race.
It is astonishing that the United States celebrates King's birthday with a national holiday but has failed to make sure his papers were placed at a research institution where they would have remained open to public use. But the King family - which has too often placed profit and family control above the national interests - is said to have discouraged such a university sale by imposing undue restrictions on the papers that would have remained in effect even after they were sold.
This unfortunate chain of events has led to the auction block at Sotheby's in New York, which has scheduled a sale on June 30 of more 7,000 items from the King papers, including the manuscript of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. The King children owe it to their father's legacy to change their minds. Failing that, we can only hope that whoever buys the collection recognizes its immense historical value and preserves unfettered public access in perpetuity. If not, an important window into King's life during his most active years could well be closed forever.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 6:17 AM
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