01/20/2025
Today we honor one of the greatest men in history.
Marlin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader. He was known to be charismatic, outspoken, and a man of the people. Marietta Ohio was lucky enough to have him visit Marietta College to speak to many other civil rights activists in March of 1967. He spoke about the government adressing the issue of poverty and homelessness within our country. The speech was called “The Future of Integration” and the collection of this speech is currently preserved at Marietta College’s Special Collections.
Unfortunately, Kings life was cut short nearly 57 year ago when he was assassinated by a cowardly gunman who did not believe in the message he was spreading to people of all races, religions, and sexes. The picture below was taken just over a year before he was gunned down. As sad as it is that he wasn’t able to continue his message to the masses, Marietta Ohio is honored to still keep hold of this historic moment in our town’s history. It proves that even though we are a small town, we had/have people within our town that have big dreams for our country where hate and discrimination are considered to be prehistoric, unwelcome, and NEVER tolerated.
Link to information about Marietta Colleges week long MLK Jr. Celebration:
https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2025/01/mc-kicks-off-mlk-jr-celebrations/
Link to an article detailing Kings visit in 1967:
https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2021/01/marietta-takes-time-to-remember-martin-luther-king-jr/
