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A footnote in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- and how he almost came to visit St. Olaf

By Jeff Sauve
January 19, 2004

In the summer of 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was invited to speak at a convocation at St. Olaf College. In his letter to St. Olaf President Sidney Rand, dated Sept. 8, 1965, Dr. King wrote this:

"Let me say how deeply grateful I am to you for extending this invitation. Nothing would please me more than the privilege and honor of speaking at St. Olaf College, particularly since it is the college that gave to the nation such a dedicated servant of humanity as the Rev. James Reeb [a civil rights martyr and member of the St. Olaf Class of 1950].

"Unfortunately, however, some roadblocks stand in the way of my acceptance at this time. Due to the temper of events in the struggle for racial justice, I have had to adopt a policy of spending the next several months working on the grassroots level in various communities to grapple with the problems of discrimination that Negroes still face in our country."

Dr. King corresponded with President Rand on several other occasions, but he never did speak at St. Olaf.

In April 1968, in the spirit of brotherhood and the nonviolent pursuit of human freedom and dignity, 1,731 St. Olaf students -- out of a total student body of 2,568 -- pledged to participate in a three-day fast. A similar fast took place at Carleton College across town.

During the fast, St. Olaf and Carleton students marched by torchlight from their campuses to Bridge Square in downtown Northfield and held a vigil in honor of Dr. King, who was murdered April 4, 1968, at age 39, leaving behind a wife, four children and a Civil Rights movement that some say has never been the same.

Contact Carole Leigh Engblom at 507-646-3271 or leigh@stolaf.edu.