This past Thursday, October 6th, the University of Rhode Island (URI) celebrated the 56th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s visit and inspiring speech at the KeaneyGymnasium on the URI Kingston campus in 1966.
Dr. King’s legacy at URI is significant, as it is one of the few higher education institutions worldwide that established a Center, teaching his philosophy and strategy for conflict reconciliation and positive social change.
On this special anniversary, URI President Dr. Marc Parlange, students, faculty, and staff honored Dr. King by unveiling a new plaque at the entrance of Keaneygymnasium hall, where Dr. King delivered the speech two years before his assassination in 1968.
The plaque was beautifully carved with Dr. King’s image and part of his URI speech in gold letters. It states, “In spite of the tensions of this moment, in spite of the setbacks, in spite of my personal frustrations, my deep disappointments, in spite of some of the developments that are so confusing taking place today, I believe that we are still going to win our freedom. Our goal is freedom and I believe that we are going to get there because ultimately the goal of America is freedom and I have not lost faith in America.”
The commemoration was attended by approximately onehundred students, staff, and faculty, including URI’s President, Dr. Marc Parlange, and Vice President for Community, Equity, and Diversity, Dr. Sean Edmund Rogers. Dr. Rogers said the commemoration was important because “The work of equity, diversity, and inclusion never really gets completed, and society must be willing to continually rededicate itself to the cause of justice.”
Besides faculty speakers, student-athletes Trinity Smith, Emmanuel Gomes, Hasna Badji, John Erby, and Daryl Mensah of the Multicultural Student Services Center read excerpts of Dr. King’s speech 56 years ago.
Martin Luther King Jr. is well-known for his leadership during the US Civil Rights movement. Globally, he is a respected role model for peace activists and freedom movements. The URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies respects Dr. King as a renowned philosopher and visionary whose ideas should be studied and applied. The Center has taught Kingian Nonviolence to people from over fifty-five countries. It continues to teach and promote nonviolence and peace to create a better and safer world.