Reverand Martin Luther King, Jr.

John Derry Allen was a disc jocket at one of the two black radio stations in Cleveland, Ohio, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visted to speak at several churches. John ushered Dr. King around the city and set up a hotel room for him and arranged for speaking arrangement. John also took several photographs of Dr. King that have not yet been published after fifty years.

The purpose of Dr. King’s visit was to share with as many people the message of what was happening in Birmingham, Alabama, where peaceful protestors were being attacked by vicious dogs and knocked off their feet by powerful fire hoses. Mayor Bull Connor showed no mercy, and Dr. King’s goal was to bring attention to the portestors’ plight and gain support for African Americans’ goal for achieveing equality.

John Allen escorted Dr. King to a service at the Thessalonian Baptist Church and brought with him his personal Norelco recording device and microphone. He recorded the entire sermon, including the introduction by Reverend Caviness. He later played the tape at the radio station, which brought out tens of thousands of voters for mayorial candidate Carl Stokes. As a result of John’s actions, Cleveland ended up having its first African-American Mayor. John then took the tape home, wrapped it up and labeled it and hid it for fifty years.