By 1968 King’s moral leadership had made him persona non grata

Evidence

By the time of the fundraiser, the distance between them was widened by Baldwin’s sympathies with the militancy of the younger generation. He was in Hollywood, after all, writing a screenplay on Malcolm X. Just a month before the King event, he had hosted a joint birthday party and fundraiser for Huey P. Newton, the jailed leader of the Black Panther Party, published his “Black Power” essay vigorously defending Stokely Carmichael, and appeared with Carmichael recently in Los Angeles. In 1968, King felt the intense pressure of these radical groups and personalities as he wrestled with the shifts in the political and social climate of the times. Once lauded as one of the most respected men in the world, he now found himself persona non grata as the nation turned its back on his moral vision. His position on the Vietnam War led some to call him a traitor and some so-called black leaders to denounce him. — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Begin Again, 216