Truxal Library Exhibit: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Image: "Martin Luther King press conference." Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsc.01269/.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 20, 2025, Truxal Library offers this virtual exhibit spotlighting library materials about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. In 1983, the third Monday in January was established as a federal holiday in honor of Dr. King. This day is often marked by reflecting on his life and work. John Conyers, who was instrumental in the creation of the holiday, reflected in 2004 on its meaning:
This national holiday provides Americans with the opportunity to honor Dr. King and recommit ourselves to continuing his legacy by fighting to bring hope to the hopeless. Dr. King envisioned a Nation and a world without deep race and class divisions — where all people would live, learn and work together equally and harmoniously. King instructed, “Make a career of humanity — and you will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”
From: Henderson, Helene. Patriotic Holidays of the United States : An Introduction to the History, Symbols, and Traditions Behind the Major Holidays and Days of Observance, Omnigraphics, 2001. Featured in tertiary/background sources below.
This library exhibit highlights books, ebooks, videos, and reliable web resources to support all levels of engagement with Dr. King's life and work. For more in-depth information about Dr. King or the Civil Rights Movement overall, please contact a member of the Truxal Library staff or explore subject guides featured on the footer of this guide. The materials featured here are but a tiny fraction of the materials on these topics within our collection!
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Books & eBooks
Primary sources (books written by Dr. King)
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story –by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780807000700Publication Date: 2010-01-01
A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. –by Call Number: E185.97.K5 A25 1986ISBN: 9780062509314Publication Date: 1986-01-01
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? –by Call Number: E185.615 .K5 2010ISBN: 9780807000762Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Secondary sources (books written about Dr. King)
Alabama V. King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Criminal Trial that Launched the Civil Rights Movement –by Call Number: E185.61 .A166 2022ISBN: 9781335475190Publication Date: 2022-05-24
At Canaan's Edge: America in the King years, 1965-68. –by Call Number: E185.615 .B67 2006ISBN: 9780684857121Publication Date: 2006-01-10
Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Martin Luther King Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" –by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780807175910Publication Date: 2021
Burial for a King: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Funeral and the Week that Transformed Atlanta and Rocked the Nation –by Call Number: E185.97 .K5 B797 2011ISBN: 9781439130544Publication Date: 2011-01-04
The Drum Major Instinct: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Theory of Political Service –by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780820355535Publication Date: 2019-03-15
God and Human Dignity: The Personalism, Theology, and Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr. –by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780268161002Publication Date: 2006
Going down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King's Last Campaign –by Call Number: HD5325 .S2572 1968 M465 2007ISBN: 9780393043396Publication Date: 2007-01-15
The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. –by Call Number: E185.97 .K5 S63 2018ISBN: 9781541697393Publication Date: 2018-03-20
King's Vibrato: Modernism, Blackness, and the Sonic Life of Martin Luther King Jr. –by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781478015741Publication Date: 2022-09-06
King and the Other America: The Poor People's Campaign and the Quest for Economic Equality –by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780520288577Publication Date: 2019-01-08
Let the Trumpet Sound –by Call Number: E185.97.K5 O18 1982ISBN: 9780060149932Publication Date: 1982-08-01
Martin Luther King Jr: Profiles In Power –by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781317876502Publication Date: 2014-06-06
Martin Luther King, Jr. , Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s And 1960s –by Call Number: E185.61 .H85 2004ISBN: 9780312395056Publication Date: 2004-02-20
My Life, My Love, My Legacy –by Call Number: E185.97 .K47 A3 2017ISBN: 9781627795982Publication Date: 2017-01-17
Ripples of Hope: Great American Civil Rights Speeches. –by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780465027521Publication Date: 2003-04-14
The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. –by Call Number: E185.97 .K5 J67 2020ISBN: 9781541617865Publication Date: 2020-03-31
The Three Mothers: how the mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin shaped a nation –by Call Number: E185.96 .T83 2021ISBN: 9781250756121Publication Date: 2021-02-02
To Shape a New World: Essays on the Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. –by Call Number: E185.97 .K5 T6 2018ISBN: 9780674980754Publication Date: 2018-02-19
You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live –by Call Number: F334 .B69 B53 2023ISBN: 9781250807694Publication Date: 2023-05-02
50 Events That Shaped African American History: an Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic [2 Volumes] –by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781440837876Publication Date: 2019-09-19
Holiday Symbols and Customs: Martin Luther King Jr. Day –by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780780811119Publication Date: 2008-11-13Reference entry about the establishment of the federal holiday in honor of Dr. King.
Patriotic Holidays of the United States –by ISBN: 9780780807334Publication Date: 2008-09-10Includes an overview about the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr Day.
Videos
- Civil Rights: Oh, Freedom!"The inspiring story of the non-violent Civil Rights Movement, as it shared the struggle for Black equality, is narrated by Andrew Young. We witness the courage of African Americans like Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Fannie Lou Hamer as they boldly confronted racist oppression." 27 minutes.
- David Susskind Archive: Interview with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."David Susskind's historical, long and intimate interview with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Originally aired on June 19, 1963 by WPIX-TV New York. Among the subjects discussed were the current state of the American Civil Rights Movement and the recent (at that time) events in Birmingham, Alabama. Recently restored by the Paley Center." 1 hour 42 minutes.
- Great Speeches Series vol. 6"This volume features five crucial speeches: Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Mountaintop' speech; Eleanor Roosevelt's UN address; George H.W. Bush's 'Defense of Saudi Arabia'; Richard Nixon's 'Watergate' speech; and Edward Kennedy's 'Truth and Tolerance in America' speech." 1 hour 41 minutes.
- Praise to King Martin"Program focuses on the philosophy and impact of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Host Melvin Moore and guests Dr. Lawrence D. Reddick (Professor of American History at Harvard University and author of 'Crusade Without Violence'), Dr. Virgil Wood (from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference) and Rev. Earl Lawson (of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Malden and with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference), all of whom knew King personally, discuss their relationships with King, their individual interpretations of King's philosophy, how King's philosophy related to the masses and other movements, and the impact of the Washington March." 35 minutes.
- They Were There: Remembering The Civil Rights Movement"Frontline figures in the Civil Rights Movement reflect on their experiences, their colleagues, and where America now stands on the issue of race in a series of NewsHour conversations and discussions. Included are conversations with Dorothy Height, Vernon Jordan, and John Lewis about their memoirs and remembrances of the March on Washington, Rosa Parks, and Hamilton Holmes." 1 hour 12 minutes.
This selection of videos are all from our Academic Video Online database which includes a searchable transcript.
- Academic Video Online: Premium This link opens in a new windowVideos in nearly every academic discipline, including documentaries, interviews, speeches, commercials, counseling sessions, lectures, governmental archival footage, and much more
Webpages
- King Encyclopedia"The Encyclopedia, based on the extensive historical research originally conducted for The Papers, has over 280 articles on civil rights movement figures, events, and organizations. It also offers a detailed day-to-day chronology of King's life, drawn from the volumes."
- Civil Rights Digital Library"The Civil Rights Digital Library (CRDL) delivers educational content on the Civil Rights Movement via the Web, and promotes an enhanced understanding of the Movement by helping users discover primary sources and other educational materials from libraries, archives, museums, public broadcasters, and others on a national scale. "
Resources for Learning More
- Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new window