Skip to Main Content

 Admission is always freeOpen today: 10:00  to 5:00  Directions             Play Artle            

                  -  Visit                      - Visit
                    - Getting Here
                    - Accessibility
                    - Tours, Guides & Maps
                    - Food & Drink
                    - Gallery Shops
                    - Visitor Policies 
                  -  Collection                      - Collection
                    - Highlights
                    - Search the Collection
                    - Artists Search
                    - Acquisition Highlights
                    - Stories 
                  -  Exhibitions                      - Exhibitions
                    - Current
                    - Special Installations
                    - Upcoming
                    - On Tour
                    - Past 
                  -  Calendar                      - Calendar
                    - Films
                    - Performances
                    - Talks
                    - Guided Tours
                    - After Hours
                    - Fun for Kids
                    - Festivals
                    - Workshops 
                  -  Learn                      - Learn
                    - Teachers
                    - Families
                    - Teens
                    - Adults
                    - Learning Resources
                    - Music Programs
                    - Film Programs 
                  -  Conservation                      - Conservation
                    - Projects
                    - Publications
                    - Resources 
                  -  Research                      - Research
                    - The Center
                    - Publications
                    - Make an Appointment
                    - Archives
                    - Library
                    - NGA Online Editions 
                  -  Support                      - Support
                    - Donate Now
                    - National Membership
                    - Circle Membership
                    - Leadership Groups
                    - Planned Giving
                    - Major Giving
                    - Gifts of Art 
                  -  Shop                      - Shop
                    - Books
                    - Jewelry
                    - Apparel & Accessories
                    - Kids
                    - NGA Custom Prints 
                  -  Play Artle

Home>Stories>Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Table: Breaking Bread in Troubled Times

Art & Society

# Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Table: Breaking Bread in Troubled Times

 min read

*Food is a basic human need. In our Food for Thought series, James Beard Award–winning journalist, scholar, and writer Cynthia Greenlee hosts a gathering of historians, food journalists, poets, chefs, and farmers and invites them to riff on food-related works of art in our permanent collection.*

The title of Benedict J. Fernandez’s photograph could have doubled as an entry on the society pages of a Black newspaper or magazine: *Dr. King enjoys lunch with his family after church in Atlanta*. African American publications often reported on the luncheons, bridal showers, and parties of the Black elite.

The coverage of Black social life was aspirational entertainment for some readers. But for activists, these glimpses also served the cause of social change. Representation mattered then, and it continues to matter.

Fernandez captured this moment, sometime during 1967 or 1968, during the last year of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. King spent that year building an economic justice movement, promoting pacifism in the midst of the Vietnam War, and pleading for nonviolence in the face of urban uprisings and bloody protests.

The Moment after a Midday Meal

In the photograph, we see King and his wife, a handsome couple in their 30s. They are seated on opposite ends of a dining room table with the remains of a midday meal in front of them. Coretta Scott King, in silhouette, is smiling; she is stylish and impeccably groomed. In addition to the three guests, their daughter Bernice sits at her mother’s right hand.

The room is as well appointed as the people in it. The backs of the Sheraton-style dining chairs are shaped like lily pads. The dark wood of the chairs complements the finish of the glass-paneled china cabinet, which reveals the family’s delicate dining pieces and maybe a few heirlooms. Peeking from the top of the frame are chandelier arms, but the room is mostly brightened by sunlight, partially filtered by sheer curtains.

The meal has been eaten, but the breadbasket, gravy boat, water goblets, and cloth napkins indicate that lunch was flawlessly served. Known for his hearty appetite, King may have insisted that one of his preferred main dishes—golden fried chicken, breaded catfish, or sliced ham—be served on the silver platter.

Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. King enjoys lunch with his family after church in Atlanta*, c. 1967-1968, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.99

Gathering in Martin Luther King Jr.’s Home

The photograph offers a view into Black, middle-class family life, representing people who are approachable, refined, and elegant. It also challenges the viewer to accept a genteel and relaxed interracial gathering.

The unidentified guests are included by default in Fernandez’s title of “family.” Whether that is intentional or not, Black and white people breaking bread together raises the political and social impact of the image.

Gathering in King’s home—or simply being close to him—could have made someone a victim of the racist violence he attracted throughout his public life. But his guests eat in his home with ease, sitting next to his young daughter as she drinks a glass of milk.

James H. Karales, *Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Yolanda King*, 1962, photograph, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Monica Karales and the Estate of James Karales, © Estate of James Karales, 2015.129.24

Photography as Strategy in the Civil Rights Movement

Before Fernandez was invited to shoot intimate moments in the life of the King family, he started his career photographing the grime and dirt of New York City’s navy yards. Fernandez’s portfolio also included many of the rageful confrontations of the Civil Rights Movement that worried King. Perhaps both men found a little relief in this calm and seemingly delightful moment, as their professional lives forced them to confront racial bitterness and hostility.

The news came on, and whenever there was a flash on TV about it, he got very quiet . . . I think he was more depressed that night . . . than I’d ever seen him because the violence really got to him.

—Juanita Abernathy, friend of Dr. King

Yet this moment was also work time—for both the photographer and the preacher. And though it looks spontaneous, it may well have been planned. The Kings regularly opened their home and intimate family time to the press. King knew that photography was a key strategy: images like this one helped tell the story of Black people as equal citizens as well as promote the possibility of common ground among people of various colors.

Fernandez likely understood King’s use of photography. The Sunday lunch may have provided the perfect opportunity to support King’s mission, but the subjects and setting also helped the photographer create a somewhat heavenly image of interracial harmony.

Flip Schulke, *King Family Praying at Sunday Dinner*, 1964, photo by © Flip Schulke/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Before They Could Break Bread in Memphis

King’s friends and family knew that mealtime was where the leader found some of his greatest joy in his truly private moments. Food nurtured and encouraged a man who experienced beatings, arrests, and death threats across the country—and in his own home. In March 1968, his friends Ralph and Juanita Abernathy hoped that a home-cooked dinner would soothe his concerns about a troubling sanitation workers’ march in Memphis.

But Juanita soon realized that King’s love for her food couldn’t overcome the heavy mood of the movement. As she remembered, “The news came on, and whenever there was a flash on TV about it, he got very quiet . . . I think he was more depressed that night . . . than I’d ever seen him because the violence really got to him.”

When King returned to Memphis the following April, he hoped to energize the strike. After delivering a rousing speech about struggle and freedom, he prepared to attend a celebratory dinner the next day. It was to feature some of his favorite foods: macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, greens, crowder peas, and sweet potato pie. Before he could break bread with his friends and colleagues in Memphis, he was assassinated.

More images from our collection

*Click on images for detail.*

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. Benjamin Spock, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Monsignor Rice of Pittsburgh march in the Solidarity Day Parade at the United Nations Building*, April 1967, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.100

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. King enjoys lunch with his family after church in Atlanta*, c. 1967-1968, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.99

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Gene Herrick, Associated Press, *Title from caption on object: “Cheers for Reverend King”*, March 22, 1956, gelatin silver print with applied color, Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon, 2018.177.440

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Charles Moore, Associated Press, *Title from caption on object: “Arrested on a Charge of Loitering Wednesday the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Accused Police of Brutality...”*, September 3, 1958, gelatin silver print with applied color, Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon, 2018.177.448

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
American 20th Century, United Press International, *Title from caption on object: “President Johnson Shakes Hands with the Reverend Martin Luther King...”*, July 2, 1964, gelatin silver print, Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon, 2018.177.460

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *While he was surrounded by the crowd before his speech at the United Nations*, April 1967, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.97

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses the crowd outside the United Nations*, April 1967, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.106

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the crowd at the United Nations*, April 1967, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.101

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. King in his office at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Headquarters in Atlanta*, c. 1967-1968, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.96

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. King addresses the New Politics Convention at the Chicago Coliseum*, October 1967, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.102

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Martin Luther King, Jr., New Politics Convention, Chicago, Illinois*, 1968, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.114

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. King at the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, addressing his congregation*, November 1967, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.103

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Surrounded by supporters, advisors, and security personnel, Dr. King, Jr. prepares for his speech at the United Nations*, April 1967, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.98

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Martin Luther King, Southern Christian Leadership Conference Headquarters, Atlanta, Georgia*, February 1968, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.111

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *In the front yard of his Atlanta home, Dr. King takes time out for a game of catch with his sons*, c. 1967-1968, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.95

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Joseph Louw, Associated Press, *Title from caption on object: “Moments after an Assassin’s Bullet Struck the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr...”*, April 4, 1968, gelatin silver print, Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon, 2018.177.471

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
American 20th Century, Keystone Press Agency, *Title from caption on object: “Martin Luther King's Funeral”*, April 9, 1968, gelatin silver print, Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon, 2018.177.474

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Dr. King's children view his body lying in state, Sister's Chapel, Spellman College, Atlanta*, April 1968, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.105

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., Central Park, New York*, April 1968, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.112

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Poor People's Campaign, Washington, D.C.*, Summer 1968, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.108

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Benedict J. Fernandez, *Memphis, Tennessee*, April 1968, printed 1989, gelatin silver print, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl), 2016.22.104

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Stefan Martin, Ben Shahn, *Martin Luther King, Jr.*, 1966, wood engraving, Rosenwald Collection, 1980.45.1301

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Photos and Art
Glenn Ligon, *Untitled (I Am a Man)*, 1988, oil and enamel on canvas, Patrons' Permanent Fund and Gift of the Artist, 2012.109.1

#### Come back for seconds

Sign up to our newsletter for the next edition in our food series.

Thank you. Please check your email for a confirmation message.

## Discover more Food for Thought

Introducing the Food for Thought Series
In this series, chefs, farmers, historians, scholars, and other thinkers share their takes on food, consumption, cooking, and eating.

Making Pictures of the Animals We Eat
When Dutch artist Willem van Aelst painted dead animals, did he use the images to grapple with the full circle of life?

Enjoy a Poem Inspired by Emien Etting’s “Flying Fruit”
Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil sees a love story in this print by American artist Emien Etting.

Dressing for Dinner in the Gilded Age
This 19th-century dinner dress captured in the Index of American Design gives us a glimpse of how the wealthy dressed for dinner.

Eldzier Cortor Takes Us Inside the Slaughterhouse
Through his surrealist woodcut, Cortor considers the relationship between humans and animals and tells the stories of Black bodies.

**Marcia Chatelain***Marcia Chatelain is professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown University. Her book*Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America*won the Pulitzer Prize in history in 2021.*

January 13, 2023

Share 

### Stay connected

Learn more about our exhibitions, news, programs, and special offers.

About
          - About the National Gallery
          - Stories
          - Press
          - FAQs
          - Contact Us

Plan a Visit
          - Getting Here
          - Accessibility
          - Today's Tours
          - Food & Drink
          - Calendar
          - Downloadable Map

Get Involved
          - Donate
          - Membership
          - Volunteer
          - Opportunities
          - Shop Online

Resources
          - Search the Collection
          - Conservation
          - Library
          - Archives
          - The Center
          - Film Programs
          - Music Programs
          - Audio/Video
          - Open Access Images

Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily

**West Building**6th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter or exit from Constitution Avenue, 4th Street, or 7th Street. The Madison Drive entrance is currently closed.*

**East Building**4th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter and exit from 4th Street.*

**Sculpture Garden**7th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter and exit from 7th Street, Constitution Avenue, or Madison Drive.*

We are closed on December 25 and January 1.

*The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.*

          -  Twitter 
          -  Facebook 
          -  Instagram 
          -  Pinterest 
          -  YouTube 

© 2024 National Gallery of Art   Notices   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy