UHart will honor Dr. King on Wednesday, February 5, at 12:45 p.m. in Lincoln Theater. More details.
The University of Hartford commemorates the prominent life and achievements of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was born on January 15, 1929, and was assassinated, at the age of 39, on April 4, 1968. A champion of non-violent civil disobedience, racial equality, and social justice, King provided an unwavering commitment to justice that helped lead the American Civil Rights Movement and transformed the nation.
King was born into a long tenure of pastors. Both his grandfather and father were pastors at Baptist churches. King would later himself become a co-pastor until his death in 1968. Prior to becoming a co-pastor, King graduated high school at the age of 15 from Georgia’s first high school for black students, Booker T. Washington High School. In the summer of 1944, at 15 years old, King journeyed closer to home in Simsbury, Connecticut. During this time, he worked at a farm where he picked tobacco to earn money to attend Morehouse University. Watch this video sharing more about Dr. King's time in Simsbury.
King’s travels to Connecticut emphasized the plight of black people in America; while traveling he had to sit in “colored” train cars until he reached Washington, D.C. where he was finally able to switch seats. This experience would be his first lived experience without segregation. While in Simsbury, King wrote letters home about his experiences in the North stating, “On the way here we saw things I never anticipated to see. After we passed Washington, there was no discrimination at all. … We go to any place we want to and sit anywhere we want to.”
A memorial to King is located in Simsbury and the tobacco farm land where he worked is protected space. King would later visit Simsbury for a second time before finishing college. He received his Bachelor of Art degree from Morehouse College, a historically black, men’s liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1948. King would later receive his doctorate degree in systemic theology from Boston University. His time in Connecticut as well as his religious and educational upbringing influenced his journey to becoming an activist and influential figure in the American Civil Rights Movement.
King first became involved in the Civil Rights Movement through the Montgomery bus boycotts of 1955. These boycotts were a mass protest that arose from the arrest of Rosa Parks and concluded after over a year with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling it unconstitutional to have segregation on public buses. Prior to the bus boycotts, King was a member of the executive committee of the NAACP, preparing him for his involvement in the boycotts and many more movements. He would later lead many notable protests and marches including his famous August 28, 1963, March on Washington where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Through his work, King raised awareness around civil rights, social injustice, and economic inequality throughout the nation.
In 1964, King accepted the Nobel Peace Prize “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population,” presented by Gunnar Jahn, chairman of the Nobel Committee. In his acceptance speech, he noted the racial injustices occurring in the United States and accepted the award on behalf of the Civil Rights Movement. At this time, King became the youngest person to accept this honor. On December 11, 1964, King delivered his Nobel Lecture titled “The Quest for Peace and Justice.” A transcript of this lecture can be found on the Nobel Prize organization’s website, and a video can be found here.
King’s work brought him to the University of Hartford in 1959 when Hillyer College invited him to deliver one of the lectures in the University’s Alexander S. Keller Memorial Fund Lecture series at Bushnell Memorial Hall. King delivered one of his speeches, “The Future of Integration,” which spoke on the historical and societal barriers to racial integration. The Keller Lectures’ press releases, transcripts, and recordings including Q&A sessions are newly digitized and available for researchers to use in the University’s Harrison Libraries.
Honoring Dr. King on February 5
In honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the University of Hartford will be hosting its annual observance program on Wednesday, February 5, at 12:45 p.m. in Lincoln Theater. This program is open to the public. This year’s observance theme is “I am My Ancestors Wildest Dreams,” reflecting on the sacrifices and struggles of past generations who fought for equality and freedom. The observance program will feature a panel discussion with distinguished leaders from the Connecticut region, who will share their accomplishments while inspiring pride, purpose, and hope for the future generations.
Panel Members:
- Josie Brown: Dean, College of Arts and Sciences and Hillyer College, University of Hartford
- Ronnell Higgins: Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
- Eboni Nelson: Dean and Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law
- Yolande Nicholson Spears: Senior Vice President of Education and Chief Community Impact Officer, Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Moderator:
- David Thompson ’89, M ’91: U.S. Vice President, Boston Scientific and Vice Chair, University of Hartford Board of Regents
Our annual observance, open to the public, provides an opportunity for our community to reflect on the impact of Dr. King as well as recommit to the goal of a beloved community.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Activist“Today, let us celebrate the courage it takes to dream. Let us commemorate a dream that is as powerful and needed today as it was in 1963. Today—in the midst of alarming racial tensions, tragic loss of life, and violent unrest between nations and peoples—we celebrate a minister of the Gospel who, in spite of fear and reluctance, rose to the occasion on a sweltering August day. With strength of soul and the courage of his convictions, he preached the good news of human dignity and equality for all God’s children in words and images so real and compelling we could all see it together.” (Transforming Center 2014).