On April 17, 1959, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent civil rights figure, penned a heartfelt note to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first Head of State of Ghana. At the time he wrote the letter, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the Prime Minister of Ghana.
The letter served as a subsequent expression of gratitude to Nkrumah following the King’s visit to Ghana for the independence celebrations in March 1957, during which he experienced our rich cultural diversity.
In the message, King conveyed his appreciation to Nkrumah for his generous hospitality and informed him that he would be presenting a copy of his book, ‘Stride Toward Freedom.’ He elaborated on the book’s contents, noting that it provides an account of the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, as well as an exploration of his philosophical and theological beliefs regarding nonviolence.
The letter from Martin Luther King Jr. below read;
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,
Prime Minister
Ghana
ACCRA, GHANA
Dear Dr. Nkrumah:
I have been intending to write you ever since I left Ghana in 1957 after having a most rewarding experience at your independence celebration. Words are inadequate for me to express my appreciation to you for the hospitality that you extended to me and my wife. It was most gracious of you to take time out of your extremely busy schedule and receive us for lunch at your residence. These things will remain in my thoughts so long as the cords of memory shall lengthen.
Since that time I have watched you and the growth of your nation with great pride. I am sorry that I was in Mexico last summer when you were in the United States and did not have an opportunity to attend any of the affairs in your honor. I have just returned to the United States from India and I was more than delighted to learn from Prime Minister Nehru and many others that you had been in India a month or so earlier and that your impact on the Indian people was tremendous.
I am sending you, under separate cover, a copy of my book, Stride Toward Freedom. which was published a few months ago. It is an account of our bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama and also an exposition of my philosophical and theological convictions on nonviolence.
I certainly hope that our paths will cross again in the not-too-distant future. If I come to Nigeria next year for the independence celebration, I will certainly plan to stop by Ghana.
Very sincerely yours, Martin Luther King, Jr.
