Speeches

The Shoulders We Stand On (Martin Luther King banquet)

Good evening. It is a pleasure to welcome all of you to the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet -- a tribute to not only a man of great strength and courage, but also to his unique vision that continues to shape each of us and the world in which we live.

This banquet, held for 27 years, pays homage to an individual who possessed great insight and communicated a powerful message about equality and justice. A pragmatic man of great patience, Reverend King understood the immense struggle and time it would take for attitudes to change. Four days after his assassination in 1968, a Michigan lawmaker proposed legislation to make January 15 a national holiday, but the proposal fell by the wayside. Again, in 1970, that same lawmaker convened Congressional hearings to study the holiday issue, after having received a petition containing 6 million signatures urging Congress to honor Martin Luther King Jr. But it was not until 1983 that President Ronald Reagan signed the legislation making The Rev. King's birthday a national holiday.

So powerful is Dr. Martin Luther King's vision -- his dream -- that it has become his legacy and endured the test of time, stimulating far-reaching societal changes. Dr. King's dream that someday people would be "judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" did not die with him on that balcony in Memphis some 35 years ago. It is alive in each one of us today. It is a dream that requires our utmost attention and constant vigilance. It is an ongoing vision that has been fulfilled in many ways, yet is still tested and questioned each day in various places around the world, sometimes through lost opportunities and sometimes through looming crises that capture the attention of peoples across the globe.

As a nation, we have seen the effects of hatred and we have vowed to rededicate ourselves to long-cherished ideals of freedom, justice and unity. As individuals, we have witnessed actions that tear away at the fabric or our relationship with each other. We must promise ourselves that we will help foster greater understanding and continue to work toward the harmony that Dr. King envisioned. As a British statesman once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

The challenge to end racism and halt hatred has been with us for centuries, maybe since the beginning of time. The theme of this dinner, "The Shoulders We Stand On," asks us to look carefully at the road we have already traveled, and to find a common direction -- together -- for our future. Through education, we can dispel ignorance and hate to put an end to the divisiveness that has hindered our discovery of the common threads that hold us together in a "single garment of destiny." As a learning community, we must not only cultivate but vigilantly pursue knowledge that will combat bigotry, engender mutual respect, reduce conflicts and promote a pluralistic society that actively celebrates our diversity. As Dr. King himself said, "Intelligence plus character is the true goal of education."

At Penn State, we have reasserted our commitment to each other and to society as we have worked to instill a sense of true community. I would like to thank everyone who has continued to work so diligently toward Penn State's goal of unity and toward the vision espoused by Martin Luther King -- that we must honor and respect our common humanity.

In the words of the Reverend King in his 1963 letter from Birmingham Jail and to echo the theme of this year's poster, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."