1958-Summit Meeting of National Negro Leaders called

On May 12, 1958, a pivotal summit of leading African American civil rights figures was convened in Washington, D.C. The gathering aimed to accelerate the national campaign against racial discrimination and segregation. Leaders—including Martin Luther King Jr., Roy Wilkins, A. Philip Randolph, and Lester Granger—voiced frustration at the slow pace of civil rights progress.

During the meeting, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered remarks that urged Black leaders to remain patient in the pursuit of full citizenship and civil rights. The speech was met with widespread criticism. In response, the leaders drafted and delivered a strongly worded letter to the White House, rejecting the notion that patience could be a substitute for justice. The letter became a historic document underscoring the urgency of desegregation and equal protection under the law during the early civil rights era. In response to the speech is a letter of note.