On the 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr., YaleNews highlights King’s relationship with Yale with these images from Yale’s archives, including from his birthday visit in 1959 and his honorary doctorate in 1964.
Celebrating Martin Luther King’s legacy at Yale
On the 50th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr., YaleNews highlights King’s relationship with Yale with artifacts from Yale’s own archives.
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1 / 9King receives an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Yale on Jan. 14, 1962. His honorary degree citation read, “As your eloquence has kindled the nation’s sense of outrage, so your steadfast refusal to countenance violence in resistance to injustice has heightened our sense of national shame. When outrage and shame together shall one day have vindicated the promise of legal, social, and economic opportunity for all citizens, the gratitude of peoples everywhere and of generations of Americans yet unborn will echo our admiration.” -
2 / 9Yale President Kingman Brewster (front row, center) and honorary degree recipients on the steps of Woodbridge Hall in 1964. King is standing first on the left. (Manuscripts & Archives, Yale University) -
3 / 9Dr. King and President Brewster speak at Woodbridge Hall. (Manuscripts & Archives, Yale University) -
4 / 9King at Woodbridge Hall with Acting University Secretary Howard Sayre Weaver (right) and Cortland Seymour Wilson, a black leader in New Haven. (Manuscripts & Archives, Yale University) -
5 / 9King’s relationship with Yale goes back further than his honorary doctorate in 1964. He celebrated his 30th birthday at Yale on Jan. 15, 1959. King is seen here cutting a slice of birthday cake with student host David George Ball ’60. The evening before his birthday, at Ball’s invitation, King spoke to a crowd of 2,000 at Woolsey Hall. Ball is the author of “A Marked Heart,” a memoir that recounts the impact King and his visit had on Ball’s life and work. (Photo courtesy of David George Ball) -
6 / 9Also on his 30th birthday, King enjoyed a lunch tour of Yale Divinity School with Dean Liston Pope, and lectured on “Problems of the South” in Marquand Chapel. Seen here is Dean Pope’s daybook, with King’s visit written in at 11:30 a.m. (Yale Divinity School Library) -
7 / 9King showed his appreciation to Pope by giving the dean a signed copy of his book “Stride Toward Freedom,” about the Montgomery bus boycott. The dedication reads, “In appreciation for the great work you have so unselfishly done for the cause of freedom and human dignity. With warm personal regards, Martin L. King Jr.” (Yale Divinity School Library) -
8 / 9Martin Luther King, Jr. on May Day. (Manuscripts & Archives, Yale University) -
9 / 9An April 21, 1969 article from the New Haven Register, titled “Dr. King’s Birthday Made Holiday For City Schools,” From the records of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale. (Manuscripts & Archives, Yale University)
