On July 3, 1962, Merle McCurdy addressed a convention held in Atlanta, Georgia for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a convention attended by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, who Merle is pictured with along with Ralph D. Abernathy. In his speech, Merle noted the strides that African Americans had made in a short period of time that included the appointment of former NAACP General Counsel, Thurgood Marshall, to the Federal Bench. Merle indicated that these strides did not come by accident and that it took the “power of the ballot” and “vigilance and fortitude” by persons willing to fight injustice and protect citizens from an invasion of their rights.

Source

McCurdy, M.M. (1962, July 3). Speech for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. A copy of this address can be found in the Merle McCurdy Archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio.