MIT began its annual commemoration of MLK in 1975, seven years after his assassination. MIT began its annual commemoration of MLK in 1975, seven years after his assassination. Among the organizers was founding director of the MIT Black History Project Clarence G. Williams, then Special Assistant to the President and Chancellor for Minority Affairs. The memorial activities featured a breakfast or dinner and lectures by prominent speakers, including a keynote address by Coretta Scott King in 1994. Martin Luther King Day was designated an Institute holiday in 1976, a decade before its first official observance as a federal holiday. These public events paved the way for the MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars Program, which continues to bring visiting professors across disciplines to campus each academic year through The Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO).

“Each year we witness ever more compelling evidence of why we should not only celebrate Martin Luther King — and, I should add, the radical movement for which he served as spokesperson — but also why we need to renew our commitments to struggle against racism, materialism, and militarism.”

--Angela Davis, MIT’s 49th annual Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 8 February 2023

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