Martin Luther King Jr. Minority Lounge

The lounge in Bursley Hall, dedicated in 1976, is named after one of the nation’s foremost civil rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. Dr. King endured harassment, arrest, and many other hardships and dangers in order to fight for equality for minorities in the United States. Non-violent protest, such as sit-ins, boycotts, and civil disobedience, were hallmarks of Dr. King’s legacy. He delivered some of the most powerful speeches of the 20th century, including the well-known “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963.

Dr. King’s actions and words made him an icon of the civil rights movement, providing hope to many during dark times. Among his numerous accomplishments and awards are the Nobel Peace Prize and a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968 while standing outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
Every year the University of Michigan commemorates Dr. King’s birthday with University Symposium activities which include lectures, community service projects, cultural events, and marches.

Civic Engagement Work

Civic engagement and responsibility was core to Martin Luther King Jr.’s message to Black voters throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Even before the passage of the 15th amendment, he recognized the obstacles which would impede access to the ballot box including poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation. Dr. King led a generation in civic engagement through promoting voter’s rights and registration for African Americans.

In 1957 at a rally at the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King made a speech titled “Give Us the Ballot” for African American voting rights: “Let us march on ballot boxes, (Let’s march) march on ballot boxes until race-baiters disappear from the political arena.”

The Selma to Montgomery March continued the fight for voter registration in March of 1965. This march raised awareness for the need for a new national Voting Rights Act and in August of 1965 the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed by President Lyndon Johnson. Thanks to Dr. King and other civil rights activists the act guaranteed the right to vote to all African Americans by banning literacy tests, federal watch over areas
of historic discrimination, and challenging the use of poll taxes.