Martin Luther King Jr. visited MSU on Feb. 11, 1965.
According to the MSU University Archives and Historical Collections, more than 4,000 students and community members gathered in the Auditorium to hear King speak about various civil rights issues.
King visited campus to assist in fundraising efforts from a student government-sponsored program called STEP.
The STEP program’s purpose was to send students and faculty volunteers to assist Rust College of Holly Springs, Miss. through the summers of 1966-68.
These volunteers would participate in education outreach programs while on this trip.
King’s speech touched on a variety of issues surrounding inequality.
According to MSU Archives, he challenged the audience to look at the world with a brotherhood perspective, ignore the concept of inferior races and rid the world of segregation.
King discussed specific issues in the South, namely the need for a new civil rights legislation to end discrimination programs in the southern states, and stressed the importance of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and their recommendations.
MSU African Studies expert and assistant professor in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities Austin Jackson said it was logical for King to visit a campus on the northern side of the country like MSU.
“When you look at the history of the modern student movement in the United States, students have always played a vital role in moving for social change,” Jackson said. “That was true for the civil rights movement. It started with young college students, young black college students who were making a stand.”
College students at the time of Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit were also hard at work promoting equality. Through protests and marches, students on MSU’s campus attempted to make their voices heard to combat racism.
Though racism was felt at varying degrees in the North and the South, it was still present throughout the country.
Jackson said there were forms of structural racism in cities like Chicago and Detroit, making a visit to MSU an easy choice when promoting change.
“I do believe that Michigan State has done its best to live up to some of the ideas of inclusiveness, diversity inclusiveness, that some people see as being connected to King’s legacy,” Jackson said.
