Martin Luther King Day
Martin Luther King Day toward violence were still
was acknowledged by BASIB developing. We can be
on Wednesday, January 15 as grateful to the students who
it sponsored a memorial have brought back to our
service for the Guilford memories not only Martin
community. Although the Luther King but also the
college does not officially ''Dream" which he had for all
recognize Martin Luther King °f us to live together as
Day, his birthday is celebrated brothers and sisters in
as a holiday and a time for freedom,
reflection on non-violence and
the Freedom Movement by
many institutions throughout
the United States. Dr. King's
assassination took place on
April 4, 1968.
The service in the Moon
Room was attended by a small
group of students and faculty.
Led by Pat Thompson, Eric
Jackson, and Michael Owens,
it was a time for quiet
meditation, reminising, and
readings from some of King's
speeches.
King's impact on race
relations in the United States
has been profound, and he
was the first major civil rights
eader to speak out against the
Vietnam war. He helped to
dramatize the links between
our racist practices and
military activities. This move
was first challenged by other
civil rights leaders, but it
served to build a bridge
between various groups working toward justice and social
change. King's ethical position of nonviolent activism was
a blend of Gandhian "Satya-
graha" (Soul Force) with
Christian social concern; an
experimental method of action
which proved both effective
and responsible under his
direction.
King also had some
interesting contacts with
Quakerism during his lifetime.
He often used the Quaker
House in Atlanta as a retreat
center during his difficult
years in the ministry. The
American Friends Service
Committee sponsored him in a
visit to the Gandhi Peace^
Foundation in India in the late
1950's while his own attitudes
