Clifford Alexander
Former U.S. Secretary of the Army
King in the Wilderness chronicles the final chapters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, revealing a conflicted leader who faced an onslaught of criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. While the Black Power movement saw his nonviolence as weakness, and President Lyndon B. Johnson saw his anti-Vietnam War speeches as irresponsible, Dr. King’s unyielding belief in peaceful protest became a testing point for a nation on the brink of chaos. Dr. King’s leadership during the bus boycotts, the sit-ins and the historic Selma to Montgomery marches is now legendary, but much of what happened afterward – during the last three years of his life – is rarely discussed. Drawing on conversations with those who knew Dr. King well, including many fellow members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King in the Wilderness reveals stirring new perspectives on Dr. King’s character, his radical doctrine of nonviolence and his internal philosophical struggles prior to his assassination in 1968.
A Screening guide, six lessons, and 39 full-length interviews conducted in the production of the documentary are available.
"There is a great need for younger generations to engage our country’s historic experiment in self-government, grounded in 'We the People.' This film dramatizes a citizens’ movement led by Dr. King that addressed deep issues of freedom, and the study guide will help today’s citizens understand how those issues remain urgent today. We are all the stewards of free government. May this educational partnership spread widely among the teachers of history and students of freedom.”
- Taylor Branch, Executive Producer
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leading the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington D.C., August 28, 1963 (Courtesy National Archives)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington D.C., August 28, 1963 (Courtesy National Archives)
Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr., after meeting with President Johnson to discuss civil rights, at the White House, Washington D.C., December 3, 1963 (Courtesy Library of Congress)
Coretta Scott King shakes hands with New York City Mayor Robert Wagner as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands between them, 1964.
President Lyndon Johnson, the White House, Washington D.C., January 10, 1964 (Courtesy LBJ Presidential Library)
Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. with Malcolm X , March 26, 1964 (Courtesy Library of Congress)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., March 2, 1965 (Courtesy Library of Congress)
Rabbi Abraham Heschel presenting Judaism And World Peace award to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., December 7, 1965 (Courtesy Library of Congress)
President Lyndon Johnson and members of his staff watch TV news reports concerning the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the White House, Washington D.C., April 4, 1968 (Courtesy LBJ Presidential Library)
President Lyndon Johnson and Joseph Califano, the White House, Washington D.C., April 5, 1968 (Courtesy LBJ Presidential Library)
Soldier standing guard during the riots that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington, D.C., April 5, 1968 (Courtesy Library of Congress)
Anti-Vietnam War protest, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., May 5, 1971 (Courtesy Library of Congress)
