On Jan. 11, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walked into Taft Gymnasium at Ohio Northern University to deliver a speech. 50 years later some of those in attendance of that speech are reflecting on that day.
On Thursday, ONU hosted a panel discussion with those student and faculty members, to honor Dr. King and for those attendees to share their experiences.Â
More than 3,000 people filled the gymnasium that day and panel members said it was the most crowded they’d ever seen it. They said Dr. King spoke so passionately about justice, equality and his opposition to the Vietnam War.
King knew he was taking a risk with what he was saying and according to a former student, it was in front of predominately white school with about six percent of diversity.
At an early point in their lives, the panel members agreed they couldn’t fully understand the impact of what was happening that day.
"I don’t think we appreciated who he really was and what he really accomplished, until 50 years later and we see all the things that have changed," a former ONU student, Joel Weaver, said. "I think he would be surprised that how much he influenced the country and the fact that we ultimately elected an African-American president."
"I think later on, the more I thought about what he said, I think it reinforced what I believed in my own personal life," said Terry Keiser, a former ONU faculty member.
Floyd Keith was one of the few African-American students at ONU at the time. He said he couldn’t grasp the importance of what King was doing at the time, but he said one line from his speech has resonated with him these last 50 years.
"There’s a little black in every white," said Keith. "There’s a little white in every black. Our destiny is that we have to learn how to make that work."
Looking back, Keith said King’s speech wasn’t about color. It was about a way of life.
