A  collection of letters to honor MLK

We made this to honor Dr. King and his efforts fighting racism by forming peaceful protests and delivering speeches.

Background Information:

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. King was the middle child in his family and his father was a Baptist minister at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. King was an ordinary kid who lived in a middle class neighborhood affected by racial discrimination. Often treatly unfairly and  humiliated due to discrimination and racial segregation, King was depressed throughout many of his childhood years. King was an extraordinarily bright kid as he skipped the 9th and 12th grades along with having outstanding scores in college entrance exams. Due to this, in 1944, at the age of 15, King entered the Morehouse College where he would later earn his Bachelor’s Degree in sociology in 1948. In February of that year, he became a Baptist minister at the age of 19. King gave many memorable sermons at the Ebenezer Baptist Church such as “The Dimensions of a Complete Life”, “Loving Your Enemies”, among others.  What King is mostly famous for are his speeches such as “I Have a Dream” and “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”. Devastatingly, in April 4th, 1968, King was assasinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, and he later died at Saint Josephs Hospital in Memphis. Even though MLK has passed away, his legacy still lives on to this day as many people celebrate MLK day, which happens every 3rd Monday of January.

Letters to Martin Luther King Jr

Letter from: James Echevaria, Class: 802

Dear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I was inspired by your speech. I want to thank you for all you have done to inspire and enlighten others at a time that was so difficult for others. I am a student in New York City who was born and raised in the Bronx. I moved to Manhattan not that long ago. I have just recently learned about your movement and the Memphis strikes that caused a major protest. Today the ideas that you were talking about in your Memphis speech are being diminished and social injustice is becoming more common in this country.

As you said in your speech, we must “maintain unity”, but many aren’t. I have seen many people in poverty, causing fights, and arguing regularly. I walk by this almost everyday and see nobody stand up for what’s right. I am writing this letter because it terrifies me that people can cause all this violence and people view it as ‘normal’. Many people are being deported because of our newly inaugurated president, these people are being separated from their families and their homes. Unity is being broken across the country and peoples rights are being broken in America. I think about your speech and how it gave unity to those workers and people in need, and how people should follow after your example. I hope that people in our country can learn to make peace and unite, I wish you would be here to bring us together with your speeches. As you mentioned in your speech about the good samaritan, you tell people to help others not because of selfish gain but because you need to ask yourself, “If I do not stop to help this person, what will happen to them?” I believe that this was very impactful and yet some people do not realize this. What you mentioned about that story is something I believe that America should follow and yet people are not.

You had a very powerful impact on our country, and your work is slipping away slowly. It pains me that so many people are against each other even though they are one of the same. I have experienced discrimination because of my nationality and I have experienced injustice. I’ve been treated differently by a few people because I am not “American” and it hurts, so I hope that America can grow from these mistakes and I hope that people take into account the meaning of your speech. The work force is very discriminatory so I hope that people can see this speech and understand the impact of working and social injustice.

From, James Echevarria 

Letter from: Melanie Gamarra, Class: 802

Dear Dr. King,

You have engraved a message of hope and determination in my heart through your inspiring words. I’m a student from the Bronx, who comes from a low-income community, but has always had my family’s support to help find new opportunities. Nonetheless, I constantly see issues that deserve to be addressed and fought for. One issue that sparked a torrent of emotions in me was the inequalities I saw and felt in NYC public education. This injustice doesn’t sit well with me because as humans, we all deserve the same treatment and opportunities to grow.

As you once said in your last speech in Memphis, Tennessee, “God sent us here, to say to you that you’re not treating his children right. And we’ve come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God’s children are concerned.” Similarly, we shouldn’t be left as the last priority in the public school system because that would simply be saying that NYC doesn’t believe low-income students can succeed. The city would be failing the children whose dreams seem impossible because they don’t have the same support and resources to achieve them. 

Furthermore, I began to notice these differences when I was participating in a science program in Manhattan. During the program, I would talk to students who lived in Manhattan, and they would describe the high levels of resources that their public schools provided them with. Then, I started realizing that it’s difficult for my public school, which is situated in a low-income neighborhood, to get new materials, make renovations, or get better educational resources. Therefore, students who live in low-income communities don’t have access to the same quality of education nor the same opportunities as students who live in high-income communities. Additionally, in your last speech, you stated that “…in the human rights revolution, if something isn’t done, and in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed.” These words deeply resonated with me because if we don’t support low-income families and their children, then they’re not going to prosper nor be able to leave poverty someday. Especially as we’re living in a time that rewards people who study and pursue higher levels of education, I believe it’s crucial for everyone to have access to an equal education.

Thus, one of the ways I can bring the spotlight to this matter is by expressing my views through journalism and creating an alliance with people who have a similar perspective as me. This is how change occurs, through determination and unison, because as you asserted in your final speech, “But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh’s court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery.” Subsequently, when people come together to fight for a specific purpose, they become invincible. 

Therefore, Dr. King, I will take your message from your speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” which asks for us to unite together and be resilient despite the obstacles, and use it to create a change in NYC public education. A change that will destroy any inequalities that can possibly limit the future of a student.

Sincerely,

Melanie Gamarra

Letter from: Gabriella Solano, Class: 802

Dear Dr. King, I hope this letter finds you well. “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” is a speech that resonates deeply with me. Your message about uniting against conflict and resolving violence and injustice is something I firmly believe the world needs in the present. Unfortunately, instances like the Memphis sanitation worker’s strike happen today, but many activists have risen up to make the world a better place all because of the message you have conveyed in “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.”

At the end of your speech, your metaphor “I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.” appeals to me as a promise of a better future. You overlook the future from a high point, as God has sent you to make the world a better place. Although you may not have been able to experience this brighter future, your job was completed. In my personal life, my great grandmother fought against child marriage as a teen in her small village in Dominican Republic. She convinced young women her age to escape the involuntary marriages, even going to the capital of the country to try to presuade military officers to enforce anti-child marriage laws. At the age of 19, her family migrated to New York, U.S.A and was unable to protest for the teen girls in her area. Despite her disappointment on the matter, she helped almost ten minors escape possibly abusive, involuntary, and neglectful marriages. When I first read your speech, I couldn’t refrain from wanting to listen to it, so I did. Your passionate message about the Lord and the rise against violence and injustice reminded me of the fierce woman I sadly never met.

In “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”, when you call the audience to “…rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be.” your metaphor–to rise up even in the face of adversity–speaks to me in volumes. Currently, in the year 2025, I feel as if I’m facing pitch black darkness. Our newly elected president, who was inaugurated less than a week ago, is signing bills and passing laws that can seriously harm a young woman of color like myself. He plans to ban abortion and necessary gynecology exams, and also plans a mass deportation of eleven million illegal immigrants. I’ve been living in fear since the moment he was elected in November, the question “What’s going to happen to me?” repeating in my head daily. I fear he might revoke my right to education, my right to a voice, or my right to a career simply because I’m a female and I’m non-white. In turn, your message on standing up for justice even when it seems impossible drives me to stand up for my rights in this period of darkness.

Overall, despite your speech being delivered almost sixty years ago, the messages you have conveyed still live on, especially with me. Just as it was in 1968, the world in 2025 is filled with conflict, violence, and injustice. However, activists just like yourself have been able to stand up to hatred and prejudice, making a difference in the world, just as you envisioned when you climbed the mountaintop. Thank you for your persistence in making the world a better place.

– Sincerely, Gabriella Solano

Letter from: Jessica Flores, Class: 802

Dear, Dr.King 

I have been inspired to write this letter from your speech, “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” and tell you my thoughts and connections. I am a student from the Bronx, New York, and your speech made me think a lot about how you could speak in front of many people about the injustice you faced while you were alive. In addition to not being afraid, a few connections I got from your speech are about how you faced a troubling time, kept yourself in a positive state, and stood up for injustice. 

 A quote from your speech that has made me think is when you said, “Now that’s a strange statement to make because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around.” What I think about this quote is how you may be so right about the world, the nation, and people’s feelings. As of now, 2025 has been a troubling time for many people, including me; the newly elected president has made a huge announcement to deport undocumented immigrants. He has started to deport many immigrants but doesn’t think of how many people and children are suffering. An example is how this new president has made me worry for my parents about not coming home or something happening to them while they are at work.

Furthermore, you capture my attention of hope and resilience from your quote, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter to me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop.” This quote shows that there will be challenging days, but you have a vision of “the mountaintop,” which is the place you are reaching for that is a peaceful place. Not only are you reaching for a quiet place, but also immigrants who want deportation to stop and enjoy this world to be fixed. 

To sum up, your speech is compelling and meaningful. It allowed me to connect with you and gave me a positive perspective even in tough times, just like you were able to be in a positive state while standing up to injustice in 1968. I am grateful for the time you were able to change many things in 1968 and stand up for what’s right. Maybe there will be someone like you standing up for this year’s injustice. 

Best regards,

Jessica Flores Alvarado

A final message:

We are happy to have people that to this day honor Martin Luther King Jr and his peaceful ways of protesting against racism and discrimination. We honor him since without his ways, the world would be way different today.