MLK Celebrated: Seven Quotes, Seven Locations, Seven Different Times
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most prolific, impactful, and internationally recognized activists and civil rights leaders of the 20th century. A Christian minister and theological scholar, Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize at 35 years of age and donated his prize money to help support the critical efforts of the civil rights movement. Dr. King is most widely recognized for his peaceful march on Washington, D.C, which drew more than 250,000 people, and where he conferred his historic speech, “I Have a Dream.”
Fifty-two years after his death by assassination, the tenets of his dream remain, and the fight for justice, equality, and human rights is carried on by activists and civil rights advocates throughout the nation and the world.
To celebrate and honor the work and legacy of Dr. King, the Saint Mary’s Mission & Ministry Center invites all members of our community to gather on Tuesday, January 21, for shared prayer and reflection. Seven brief prayer and reflection opportunities will be held at seven different locations on campus, at seven different times throughout the day. Each of these brief sessions will include time for all who gather to share reflections on a specific quote from Dr. King. Attendees are welcome to join one or more of the sessions listed below.
Time | Quote | Location |
9 a.m. | "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Strength to Love, 1963. | Academic Affairs Office |
10:30 a.m. | "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." Letter from Birmingham, Alabama jail, April 16, 1963. | Filippi Admin. Hall Entryway |
12 p.m. | "It is not enough to say 'We must not wage war.' It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but the positive affirmation of peace." Anti-War Conference, Los Angeles, California, February 25, 1967. | Peace Pole @ Ferroggiaro Hall |
2 p.m. | "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Strength to Love, 1963. | UCU Pavilion Foyer |
3:30 p.m. | "Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in." March for Integrated Schools, April 18, 1959. | Fenlon Hall (SMC Brothers Residence) |
5:30 p.m. | "If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective." Christmas sermon, Atlanta, Georgia, 1967. | Chapel Plaza |
8 p.m. | "We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience." Montgomery, Alabama, March 25, 1965. | Justin Residence Hall Lounge |