Martin Luther King jr. at “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” on Aug. 12, 1963. Credit: Courtesy of TNS
When Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated April 4, 1968, the United States was rocked, and the shockwaves were felt in Columbus.
Ohio State President Novice Gail Fawcett issued a statement and subsequently canceled classes April 9 for memorial observance of King’s death.
“It is shocking to learn that in espousing a non-violent doctrine his life has been taken by a violent act,” Fawcett wrote. “Such an act leaves us with a feeling of sorrow and emptiness and should cause us all to reassess our views and rededicate our lives to seeking equality within a framework of law and order.”
King was a Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist and minister whose nonviolent philosophy made him a prominent leader of the civil rights movement. King was killed at age 39 on the balcony of his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray.
King’s powerful life and untimely death have inspired students, faculty and staff at Ohio State for more than 60 years, according to Lantern archives.
In April of 1960, Jan Zehner, then a fourth-year in international studies, wrote a firsthand piece for The Lantern after a spring break trip to Alabama with 10 students to study problems in the southern states — specifically racial tensions — sponsored by Ohio State’s YMCA-YWCA.
Zehner wrote that the group had a luncheon with King and other activists as well as segregationists — toward whom, he noted, he was unsympathetic. He anticipated the civil rights movement would not be quelled, but it could be long before Black Americans would see equal rights.
“It will probably be many decades, perhaps even centuries, before he achieves, either South or North, the goal of being accepted in all phases of life for his individual personality rather than on the basis of his exterior appearance,” Zehner wrote.
In July of 1965, Ohio State’s Board of Trustees reevaluated its rule that it would not allow campus speakers who advocate for civil disobedience or nonviolent resistance — including King, one professor noted. The proposed revision, brought to the Board by the Faculty Advisory Committee, maintained that “no topic or issue is too controversial for intelligent discussion on the campus.”
“We as a committee are unanimous in support of the proposed rule changes. We believe they are in the best interests of the University. These proposed changes meet the approval of the faculty as indicated by their acceptance vote,” Robert McCormick, then-chairman of the Faculty Advisory Committee, said.
The Board of Trustees did not discuss the Speakers’ Rule at their previous meeting on May 13, but a petition signed by 428 faculty members calling for immediate abolishment of the rule was presented to the Board. Nearly 100 faculty members picketed the Administration Building during the meeting. The July proposal failed but was later approved the followingSeptember.
King also spoke at the Vietnam War protest at the United Nations in New York City April 17, 1967, which was attended by at least 100 Ohio State students, The Lantern reported.
“I would like to urge students from colleges all over the nation to use this summer and coming summers educating and organizing communities across the nation against war,” King said. “I would like to urge students to continue to pursue the path of alternative services and accept the role of conscientious objectors as many are doing.”
On the day following King’s death, students from the Black Student Union and Black members of the Veterans for Peace organization gathered at the Oval to lower a flag and commemorate the activist.
David E. Green, assistant professor of history, said he burned his draft card in his 11 a.m. American Foreign Policy class the day after King’s death in sympathy with King’s doctrine of nonviolence.
“One must honor the memory of King by honoring the things he stood for,” Green said. Green was ultimately dismissed from the university.
Three days after King’s death, a group of about 150 students gathered at the Ohio Union and marched to the state fairgrounds in King’s memory. Protests broke out across the country.
That same day, it was decided that all profits from May Week — a week of celebration at the end of the academic year — would be used to start a fund in King’s name for incoming Ohio State students from underprivileged areas. Previously, funds were donated to the United Appeals Fund, according to Lantern archives.
MLK Day is the only federal holiday dedicated as a day of service and encourages Americans to volunteer in their communities, according to the AmeriCorps website. In January 1986, during the first official celebration of the holiday, civil rights leader Leon A. Higginbotham, a federal judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit and former NAACP president, addressed Ohio State faculty and students about the importance of this distinction.
“We must work to close the gap that exists between Blacks and whites — the problem of disparity,” Higginbotham said to a packed Weigel Hall. “If we really care about Martin Luther King’s dream, don’t let [his holiday] suffer by our inactions.”
This year, Ohio State students can order at-home service project kits starting Monday at 7 p.m. on the Student Activities website. There will also be a series of speakers throughout the week.
