“The secret of his greatness does not lie in his voice or his presence or his manner, though it has something to do with all these; nor does it lie in his verbal range or felicity, which are not striking; nor does he have any capacity for those stunning, demagogic flights of the imagination which bring an audience cheering to its feet. The secret lies, I think, in his intimate knowledge of the people he is addressing, be they black or white, and in the forthrightness with which he speaks of those things which hurt and baffle them. He does not offer any easy comfort and this keeps his hearers absolutely tense. He allows them their self-respect—indeed, he insists on it.”
— James Baldwin on Martin Luther King from Harpers, 1961
photo: MLK at Cow Palace, SF 1964
native to the place 
I disagree! His verbal range and eloquence were striking as well.
Well, James Baldwin, who preached himself, I guess heard otherwise. But I agree, I can’t read a speech of King’s without hearing it *in* his voice, the cadence, modulations, tone — Singular.
…don’t recall having seen this image before…do you know who the photographer was?
Hi, John I shot a note to my photographer friend who sent it along. I will find out and let you know (and post it, too!) Thanks for asking. L
It’s a magnificent picture.
the scale, that beautiful light: majestic.
my friend Lewis wrote back: the photographer is George Conklin
thanks!