Morehouse College stands to gain much more than the 10,000 documents in the collection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s writings bought by a coalition of business leaders, individuals and philanthropic leaders in Atlanta.
Questions remain about accessibility and where to house the collection, but the college, in acquiring the papers, is positioning itself to upgrade its scholarship, facilities and public perception, its officials say.
“It can only enhance Morehouse’s reputation, nationally and internationally, and carries the Morehouse tradition of our alumni, prominent, well-known alumni, be[ing] closely connected with the college,” said Walter E. Massey, Morehouse College president, in an interview.
“It’s another recognition that we are among the finest colleges in the world, the fact that this kind of collection would be entrusted into our oversight,” said Massey. “One of the reasons that the city was able to make a deal to buy the papers before going to auction was that the family really wanted [it] to come to Morehouse, and they are very pleased.”
The Morehouse community is celebrating the acquisition as a homecoming. The news came after Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin assembled a coalition of business and civic leaders to donate money to obtain the collection before a scheduled June 30 auction at Sotheby’s auction house in New York.
“Obviously, the papers are priceless,” the mayor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The key is to establish Atlanta as the home of civil rights and human rights. Getting the papers shows that the entire community is embracing that legacy.”
But that does not mean that Morehouse has an exclusive deal.
