Newly Discovered Recording of MLK Jr. Speech in Manhattan Revealed

The New York State Museum has posted an online exhibit featuring a newly discovered audio recording of a 1962 speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Museum officials say it's the only known recording of King's 26-minute speech commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation at the Park-Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. In gratitude for the speech, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller donated money to help rebuild African American churches that had been burned down in Georgia.

The online exhibit posted Monday includes the audio recording, the manuscript of the speech from state archives, and photos from the event.

The recording was discovered recently by museum staff working to digitize thousands of audio and video recordings in the museum's collection of more than 15 million artifacts.

Visit the online exhibit here: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/mlk/ 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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