President Herbert’s Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy

As we reflect on this Martin Luther King Day, let us step back and contemplate the legacy that Dr. King bestowed upon us: a life dedicated to the nonviolent struggle for equality and inclusion. While we, like King, should keep our sights firmly planted on the next hurdles to overcome – and there are many ­– we, also like King, can and should acknowledge and celebrate our successes along the long road to social justice. There is no better time to do that than today, a day when we honor the pivotal role that Dr. King played in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – legislation that has served as the legal backbone of inclusive measures in our country ever since.

Also on this day, we in the UNE community are reminded of our own roots that grew from the seeds of inclusion. Both of our precursor institutions, St. Francis College in Biddeford and Westbrook College in Portland, were born from a desire to welcome those who previously had been marginalized and barred from institutions of higher education. St. Francis was founded in the 1950s to educate the children of French-speaking Canadian immigrants, and Westbrook College began in 1831 as a co-educational seminary at a time when very few colleges opened their doors to women. Both institutions helped pave the way in Maine for higher education to be accessible to a more diverse group of people.

St. Francis, in particular, deserves recognition on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, having made the bold move in 1964 to hold a symposium on human rights, featuring Dr. King himself.

In reviewing the memorabilia, held in our St. Francis History Collection, of this extraordinary event in the life of our University, I am struck by how forward-thinking the administration, faculty, and students of St. Francis were in their quest to make their college a hotbed for the respectful exchange of ideas. The 1964 “I Have a Dream” symposium was the second multi-day conference offered by the college, with “The Christian in the Modern World” preceding it the year before.

The very concept of a symposium, as an event separate from our everyday studies where we bring thought leaders from diverse viewpoints together to discuss a major issue of the day, is the epitome of the “marketplace of ideas” approach to education that I believe should be the model for higher education going forward.

I think it’s safe to say that not every single person attending the symposium agreed with every statement made by every speaker over the course of the two-day event. But the discourse was respectful, thoughtful, and ultimately had a tremendous impact on the students. I can’t help but feel that if the priests of St. Francis College in 1964 could sanction a “rap session” for students in the cafeteria with 22-year-old denim-clad freedom rider Stokely Carmichael, then we can all learn from them a bit about inclusivity and having respect for those who are different from us.

Dr. King himself embodied the spirit of symposia – intellectual, rousing, inspiring, without any of the ugliness and combativeness that we, unfortunately, see all too often today when those from opposing viewpoints square off. So today, I encourage us all, each in our own way, to not only honor Dr. King’s contributions to our nation and our University but to honor the manner in which he did so.