Keeping an Eye on the Prize

Martin Luther King holiday marked by discussions, service events

January 20, 2009

Faculty members Wendell Smith, Jerry Philogene, Stephanie Gilmore and Susannah Bartlow listen to a question from the audience during a panel discussion on Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement's Historic and Contemporary Influence.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
—Martin Luther King

Dickinson College observed the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Jan. 19 by remembering King's nonviolent battles against racism, war and poverty, and by celebrating his profound and lasting effect on modern American society.

The observances began with opening remarks by Paula Lima, director of diversity initiatives, followed by a panel discussion on King's leadership, faith and character. Subsequent panels discussed King's influences on the civil-rights movement, King's stance on nonviolence and the impacts of his efforts to fight poverty. Held in the Great Room of the Stern Center, the events were free and open to the public.

As a number of panelists noted, this holiday was especially poignant because it fell one day before the 2009 presidential inauguration, when the first African American would be sworn in as the president of the United States.

In keeping with President-elect Barack Obama's call to service, the Office of Religious Life & Community Services organized opportunities to engage in mini-service projects across campus. Throughout the day, student volunteers participated in various service events, including the collection of canned food at the HUB for Project S.H.A.R.E and a clothing drive at the Kline Athletic Center on behalf of the Salvation Army.

The reason for the holiday

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister and iconic leader of the American civil-rights movement. He received a B.A. at his father and grandfather's alma mater, Morehouse College, and studied divinity at Crozer Theological Seminary. He was ordained a minister at his father's Atlanta church, and, at age 24, led a Baptist congregation in Alabama. Three years later, King earned his doctorate at Boston University.

King quickly became recognized as a driving force in the struggle for racial equality. Between 1957 and 1968, King spoke publically more than 2,500 times, was arrested more than 20 times, was awarded five honorary degrees, conferred with presidents, was named Man of the Year (1963) by Time magazine and wrote five books and a revolution manifesto, inspiring people all over the world to embrace his message of nonviolent protest against hate and injustice.

In 1963 King delivered his now-famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In his speech, King spoke of his vision of a future marked by peace, justice and equality. His powerful words are commonly said to have inspired supporters of desegregation and to have prompted the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On that same year, King was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn., King was assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel, where he was staying, in advance of a planned peaceful protest. On Nov. 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor King.