Before Memphis, There Was Bimini: The Peaceful Place Where Martin Luther King, Jr. Wrote His Last Speech

There are places in the world that hold their magic and secrets quietly. Bimini is one of those places. Located just 50 miles off the coast of Florida, the area is regarded by locals as a place of healing and divine encounters.

They’ll say the proof is along Bimini Road. Located underwater, this mysterious, large stone formation is speculated by locals to be a remnant of the lost city of Atlantis. Then, there’s the healing hole. This natural freshwater spring is hidden within the mangroves of North Bimini. Its high mineral content and local lore suggest healing properties. The legendary “Fountain of Youth” is said to contain mystical waters that promote rejuvenation and physical renewal.

While it would be easy to chalk these spaces to local folklore, it’s hard to ignore that this is the same place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to think, rest, and write. Just days before he was assassinated on a Memphis balcony in April of 1968, he had been here to Bimini on Bonefish Creek, where he was putting words on paper that the world would never forget:

“I’ve been to the mountaintop.”

These words would close his life’s work, but it wasn’t his first visit. He came before to write his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. If anyone knew the power of Bimini, it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I visited to understand what he found.

Why Dr. Martin Luther King Chose Bimini In The Bahamas

Bimini is just a two-hour ferry ride from Miami, but it’s an entirely different world. It’s the westernmost district of The Bahamas and is often referred to as the “Gateway to the Bahamas.” When you finally get on the way, you quickly realize you’re entering a magical space filled with unbelievable turquoise waters. If you look closely, the magic in the water will greet you if you are patient. Magic came to us in the form of sea turtles, juvenile lemon sharks, and colorful starfish.

We learned that King initially chose Bimini because Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. invited him to the island to escape FBI surveillance, rest, reflect, and work on his speeches.

Once there, King connected with local legend Ansil Saunders, a boat builder and champion bone-fisher, whose family legacy on the island stretches back to the era of Ernest Hemingway. They became good friends. Saunders would get Dr. King conch fritters for breakfast and lunch, then guide him to secluded parts of the island where he could be alone with his thoughts.

“I met Dr. King when I was a school boy,” Ansil’s younger brother, Ashley, told Travel Noire during an interview. “One of the things I remember Dr. King telling our student body is that if you can make a mousetrap better than anyone else, the world would cut [sic] a path to your door.”

Bonefish Creek’s Magic

While on his first trip to Bimini, Dr. King checked into the Big Game Fishing Club and stayed in Cottage 3. It was here, poolside, and in Ansil’s boats, where he spent time working on his speeches.

Four days before Dr. King was gunned down in Memphis, Ansil took him on a boat and transported him to his favorite place, Bonefish Creek. Local Captain Denver Stuart said local historians believe King knew his last trip to Bimini would be his final one. It is believed he also wrote part of his eulogy here.

“Dr. King once said this place is spiritual, magical, and mystical,” said Captain Stuart. “He went into meditation here for about 30 minutes.”

Bonefish Creek is surrounded by thick bushes, trees, and mangroves, and is home to over 100 species of fish and other marine life. According to Bahamas tourism leaders, Dr. King told Ansil that Bimini was so peaceful and close to nature that only God could have created such a place. This stillness gave him quiet time, peace from constant surveillance, and the chance to prepare for what he knew would likely be the end of his life.

What It Feels Like To Actually Be There

I had heard this story so many times in different ways during my visit, but it wasn’t until I stood there in quietness that I understood what Dr. King, Jr. felt. It was as if the tide carried a secret it whispered, one you could only hear in stillness. The birds called overhead, and the mangrove roots tangled beneath our boat, carrying a legacy that felt unbreakable. It felt like an out-of-body experience to be in the place where one of the greatest men of a generation once stood. I honored him by putting my phone down and listening to the world around me.

There are now two busts of Dr. King on the island. One is in Alice Town, and the other is among the very mangroves where King last found moments of peace.   

What Bimini and Dr. King taught me amid the mangroves is that the most profound moments in life are not always found in fury or protest but in profound stillness. We all owe it to his legacy to find this peace.

@mittimegantv It’s here in Bonefish Creek in Bimini, Bahamas where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his final speech “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” on April 3, 1968. There’s so much #blackhistory in the #bahamas #culturetravel #fypシ ♬ original sound – Mitti Hicks Travel Writer

The post Before Memphis, There Was Bimini: The Peaceful Place Where Martin Luther King, Jr. Wrote His Last Speech appeared first on Travel Noire.